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Showcasing a wide range of falconry products and hunting equipment, the fifth edition of S'hail - Katara International Hunting and Falcons Exhibition opened at Katara - the Cultural Village on Tuesday with the participation of 160 national and international companies from 18 countries. The five-day event is being held at Katara's Al Hikma Square and Hall. A large number of enthusiasts thronged the venue on the first day to visit the pavilions while adhering to Covid-19 precautionary measures. Katara general manager Prof Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, who is also chairman of the Organising Committee, expressed happiness at the opening of the fifth edition of the exhibition and said "S’hail is growing in importance year after year". "The fifth edition confirms its leadership as being the largest and most important international exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa in the field of hunting and falconry,” he said. S’hail continues to grow rapidly, having witnessed an increase in the space allocated to accommodate all the pavilions of the participating companies, while designing them in an innovative and attractive manner with impressive artistic and aesthetic features. It has also seen enhanced marketing methods to provide the best of companies. He further stressed that the fifth version is quite different from the previous ones "given the remarkable Gulf participation and the presence, for the first time, of many international companies offering new and diverse products in the weapons, hunting and trips sectors", Katara said in a statement. Prof al-Sulaiti said the exhibition acts as an international cultural, heritage and economic forum, which provides a "great opportunity for the exchange of experiences and expertise in hunting besides attracting the most-skilled craftsmen and manufacturers in the fields of falconry and hunting supplies from all over the world". The opening day of the exhibition witnessed the visits of a number of ambassadors to Qatar, including Jose Benzacín Perea of Peru, Abd al-Rahim al-Siddig Mohamed of Sudan, Jasminko Pozderac of Serbia, Partick Cornell Ahanda of Kenya as well as Dr Bilal Turkiye, chargé d'affaires of the embassy of Syria. The exhibition hall has been divided into different zones, including those meant for falconry products, various stalls and pavilions as well as specialised SUVs used for camping purposes. “S’hail is a popular and ideal venue for falcon enthusiasts to visit, see falcons and buy them along with various products and equipment. Hunters meet here while sharing their experiences and plans. It popularity is increasing and the exhibition has evoked a warm response,” exhibition manager Abdulaziz Al Bohashem al-Sayed told Gulf Times. He said several dignitaries are expected to visit the exhibition over the coming days, adding that falcons and falconry are part of the Qatari life. While the exhibition will be open from 10am to 10pm on all days, on Friday it will receive visitors from 2pm until 11pm. The exhibition is being held in accordance with all Covid-19 precautionary measures as stipulated by the Ministry of Public Health. Organisers have said entry will be allowed to people aged 12 years and above, who are fully vaccinated, in order to ensure the health and safety of all. “We ensure that visitors follow the precautionary measures,” al-Sayed added. Katara has launched a mobile app for patrons besides ensuring electronic methods for a safe visit and shopping experience. The specialised application also shows a collection of the best types of falcons to be chosen for auctions. S’hail is supported by a number of companies, including Ooredoo as the telecom sponsor, Qatar Insurance Company and the Social and Sport Contribution Fund (Daam) in addition to Debor and Zoom as logistical support partners. The exhibition will also see innovative competitions, programmes and cultural events aimed at preserving the heritage and promoting authentic traditions. These include two competitions for the ‘most attractive pavilion’ and the ‘most beautiful falcon hood’, carrying valuable prizes. The best pavilion at S’hail will be given a prize of QR20,000 while there will be three prizes for the most beautiful falcon hood, worth $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.    

Featuring falcons, falconry and hunting equipment, the fifth edition of S'hail - Katara International Hunting & Falcons Exhibition started at Katara today morning. The five day festival is held at Al Hikam Square and Hall of the Cultural Village Katara where many falcon enthusiasts thronged on the first day to visit the pavilions while adhering to the Covid-19 precautionary measures. The exhibition hall has been divided into three zones with the first one for gathering while the second one is for falcons and falconry. The third zone is dedicated for specialised and modified four-wheel drive SUV’s for safari camping.  “S’hail is a popular and ideal venue for falcon enthusiasts to visit, see falcons and buy them along with various products and equipment. Hunters meet here while sharing their experiences and plans. The popularity is getting high and the exhibition has evoked a warm response,” exhibition manager Abdulaziz Al Bohashem al-Sayed told Gulf Times.  He said several dignitaries are expected to visit the exhibition adding that falcon and falconry are part of Qatari life.  While the exhibition will be open from 10am to 10pm on all days, on Friday it will receive visitors from 2pm till 11pm. Considered as one of the largest in the Middle East and North Africa region, the exhibition will be held in accordance with all the Covid-19 precautionary measures instructed by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). Organisers have said that entry will be allowed to people aged 12 years and above, who are fully vaccinated in order to ensure the health and safety of all.  “We ensure that visitors follow the precautionary measures,” said al-Sayed.  Katara has already launched a mobile app for patrons besides ensuring electronic methods for safe shopping and visit experience. The specialised application also shows the collection of the best types of falcons to be chosen for auctions. S’hail is supported by a number of companies including Ooredoo as the telecom sponsor, Qatar Insurance Company and The Social and Sport Contribution Fund (DAAM) in addition to Debor and Zoom as logistical support partners. The exhibition will also see more innovative competitions, programmes and cultural events aimed at preserving heritage and promoting the interest of authentic traditions. These include two competitions for the ‘most attractive pavilion’ for being most aesthetic and innovative in terms of design,  and the ‘most beautiful falcon hood’ with its craftsmanship, look and comfort factor carrying valuable prizes. The best pavilion at S’hail will be given a prize of QR 20,000 while there will be three prizes for the beautiful chosen falcon eye hoods of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 respectively.  

The activities of the fifth edition of S’hail - Katara International Hunting and Falcons Exhibition will start Tuesday at Katara - The Cultural Village, showcasing the rich Arab culture and tradition of falconry. A joyous mood prevailed on Monday at Katara's Al Hikma Square and Hall where organisers and participants were busy with final arrangements for the grand event. HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani and Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz al-Saud yesterday toured the venue. They reviewed the exhibits of local, Arab and international companies that are specialised in hunting and falconry supplies, hunting and shooting weapons, and camping products and equipment. Running until September 11, the exhibition will be attended by 160 firms from 18 countries. These include local and foreign growers and firms that sell hunting and falconry equipment. Besides, there is an exclusive area for specialised and modified four-wheel drive SUVs used for safari camping. The area inside the exhibition hall also features new technology hunting-aiding tools in pavilions. Specialised veterinary falcon hospitals and pavilions providing falconry care are also featured. “This year’s exhibition is also spread over a large area which exceeds all previous editions and ensures more space and safe distance for all,” a Katara press statement noted. While the exhibition will be open from 10am to 10pm on all days, on Friday it will receive visitors from 2pm until 11pm. Considered as one of the largest in the Middle East and North Africa region, the exhibition will be held in accordance with all the Covid-19 precautionary measures as instructed by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). Organisers have said that entry will be allowed for fully vaccinated individuals aged 12 and above. Katara has already launched a mobile app for patrons besides ensuring electronic methods for safe shopping and visit experience. The app also shows the collection of the best types of falcons to be chosen for auctions. S’hail is supported by a number of companies including Ooredoo as the telecom sponsor, Qatar Insurance Company and the Social and Sport Contribution Fund (Daam) in addition to Debor and Zoom as logistical support partners. The most sought after falcon auction each day at S’hail will be via the mobile app. The exhibition will also see more innovative competitions, programmes and cultural events aimed at preserving heritage and promoting the interest of authentic traditions. The organisers have announced two competitions for the ‘most attractive pavilion’ for being most aesthetic and innovative in terms of design, and the ‘most beautiful falcon hood’ with it's craftsmanship, look and comfort factor. The best pavilion at S’hail will be given a prize of QR20,000 while the best three falcon eye hoods are to be awarded $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. Also, visitors to the exhibition will be able to enjoy traditional and hunting cuisine made from fresh catch. Katara has announced the opening of Snan Food Hall on a temporary basis in connection with the event. Organisers said all Katara restaurants will be adhering to precautionary health measures and safety standards measures set by the authorities concerned.    

While expanding its micro-mobility business, Mowasalat (Karwa) has launched e-scooters at Education City in co-operation with Falcon Ride and Qatar Foundation (QF). “We are super thrilled to announce that we have launched our e-scooters in Education City. As part of a pilot programme with Qatar Foundation and Falcon, we will continue to support and contribute towards a cleaner, brighter future for our country,” Mowasalat tweeted. The hi-tech, app-enabled e-scooters have been enabled as part of Mowsalat’s efforts to ensure "safe, sustainable, tech-enabled micro-mobility services" at various parts of the country and its strategy of connecting people with convenient transport solutions throughout Qatar. The e-scooters are available for visitors and those who work in Education City. “Users will have to download the Falcon Ride application,” Mowasalat explained while suggesting safety measures. Users must be 18 and above to use the e-scooters. Only solo rides will be allowed with one person per scooter. Park safely in a non-obstructing area or dedicated Falcon parking nest” the tweet added while asking users to always follow helmet laws. Falcon has urged all the riders to follow the same rules in support of maintaining public safety and cleanliness while adhering to the Covid-19 precautionary measures. The e-scooters are presently available at West Bay, Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, Al Qassar, Katara and Legtaifiya while it was launched at The Pearl-Qatar in co-operation project with the United Development Company, master developer of The Pearl-Qatar and Gewan Island. E-scooters are operated with the support of Falcon Ride application with QR2 charged for unlocking the application while 50 dirhams is charged for every minute of use. Falcon Ride officials have said that they will look to engage with other stakeholders to provide last mile connectivity solutions that will support Qatar in meeting its FIFA World Cup 2022 and Qatar National Vision 2030 goals.    

The world we live in is all about Generation Z (persons with mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years) who dominates it. They are the leaders of tomorrow. Also known as zoomers, the generation is increasingly worthy of attention and they are special with certain characteristics. They have been exposed to the internet, to social networks, and to mobile systems and want to be spoken in their own language. Infotainment Factree, a Qatar-based initiative is looking to emerge as the platform to connect Generation Z across curriculum and communities. This is achieved by organising an array of literary activities covering all communities across Qatar. “Generation Z is true digital natives and competitive. They want to become winners and to be heard with strong opinions. Our attempt is to draw them through online means rather than going for the old-school methods while making use of edgy and visual marketing tactics. We deliver information in multiple ways while targeting zoomers through storytelling, explainer videos and other forms of visualisation,” says Shafqat Nabi, Infotainment Factree project lead. What makes Infotainment Factree special is that it focuses on infotainment that integrates both entertainment and information. Also, it covers all communities while reaching into educational institutions through competitions including quiz, debate, extempore, speech, essay, dumb charades, collage-making, painting and sketching. “Infotainment Factree aims to bring these activities under a single umbrella of Young SPARKS Literary Festival for schools and other educational institutes. Given the multicultural nature of Qatar, there is a great potential to organise such quality events on a large scale,” says Aisha Jamal, Wizard of Light bulb Moments, managing tie ups and sponsorships. Infotainment Factree focuses on four Rs which are Read, Art, Reason and Recreation. Also, it tempts the beneficiaries to rekindle the reading habit and to work on the writing and the debating skills in order to make them more socially engaged and provide them reasons and motivations to have lesser tractions towards social media. Also, it improves communication, imparts knowledge and aids better sleep while helping them become mentally peaceful and build personality. “It’s all about creating tomorrow’s leaders while creating a culture through activities and workshops. We bring together all stakeholders including students, schools, parents, skill development centres, media and corporates,” Shafqat said. Apart from the Young Sparks Literary Festival, Infotainment Factree holds corporate sponsored competitions including speech contests, The Gift Of The Gab, for students from schools across curriculum pan-Qatar. Shafqat said the competitions are held under the supervision of a panel of international judges across communities and space. Also, Infotainment Factree has plans to set up Young Sparks Clubs with members across different schools and branches at each school. Quarterly events including talk shows, workshops, educational fairs and personality development sessions will be held. There is a plan in the making to set up community libraries with the partnership of various stakeholders. “The Gift Of The Gab, an online speech contest organised last month, was the first of all live events by Infotainment Factree. By the time this event was conceptualised, all schools had already closed. Though many found the time inappropriate, we took it as an opportunity. We reached out using the power of social media and got 48 entries across communities and curriculum. Students were able to participate with equal ease in the safety and comfort of there home,” Shafqat added.    

Using mobile phones while driving continues to be a major cause of road accidents in Qatar, an official with the General Directorate of Traffic has said. While addressing an awareness seminar by the Ministry of Interior (MoI), Captain Mohamed Abdullah al-Kuwari, Officer at the Traffic Awareness Department, said careless driving due to mobile phone use accounts for 80% of the total accidents. “Using mobile phones and recording visuals from inside the vehicles causes distraction and ends in accidents,” he noted, urging the public to be aware of the cause. As per statistics, released by the General Directorate of Traffic earlier this year, negligence and reckless driving accounted for 2,442 accidents at a rate of 42.4% of the total cases in 2020. While 21.9% of the cases happened due to not keeping a safe distance, 12.3% were due to deviation from the road. Other reasons including red signal jumping, non-adherence to lane discipline, speeding and overtaking resulted in 13.4 % of the total cases. Qatar recorded a remarkable drop in road traffic accidents in 2020 with a sharp decrease of 28.3%. Cases went down to 155,812 in 2020 from 217,353 in 2019. Al-Kuwari said intensified awareness programmes are being held in order to address the grim scenario and achieve accident free roads. “Using or holding mobile phone or any other device in hand while driving or becoming busy watching any visual from the television set in the vehicle draws a penalty of QR500. The same penalty is applied if children below the age of 10 are allowed to occupy the front seat,” he said, adding that avoiding seat belts while driving causes a penalty of QR500. Also, al-Kuwari asked pedestrians to be careful and use only designated areas to cross the roads. “Pedestrians are given a penalty of QR200 if they fail to take necessary precautions while crossing the main road,” he said. He urged drivers to slow down at pedestrian crossings, crowded points, turns or curves or cross roads or intersections or roundabouts or bridges or underpasses or while entering school or hospital zones in order to ensure road safety. Any failure will draw a penalty of QR300. The MoI official urged motorists to move the vehicles from the roads in the case of minor accidents. Al-Kuwari also noted that drivers do not need to carry hard copies of licence and can show the copy available with the e-wallet of Metrash 2.    

The General Authority of Customs (GAC) has issued a travel advisory for carrying money, valuables and financial instruments. “Any person upon entering or leaving the state and in possession of any currency, financial bearer negotiable instruments or precious metals or stones equivalent to or exceeding QR 50000 or it's equivalent in for­eign currencies, must fill the declaration form, and any additional in­formation requested by the customs officer must also be provided,” GAC tweeted. The form, according to the tweet, is filled in at the customs declaration office at all air, sea or land travel outlets. The implementation of this system comes in application of the provisions of the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Law No. 20 of 2019 and Cabinet Resolution No. 41 of 2019 to issue it's executive regulations. Items to be declared, according to GAC, are currencies including Qatari currencies or other foreign currencies and negotiable currencies or financial instruments. These are cheques, promissory notes, and money orders that are either in bearer form, endorsed without restriction, made out of to a fictitious payee, or otherwise in such form that title thereto passes upon delivery. These also include incomplete instruments including cheques, promissory notes and money orders signed, but with the payee's name omitted. Precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum and other precious metals along with precious stones like diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, pearls and others also should be declared. GAC has warned against false declaration saying giving incorrect information will draw action. “False declaration or refusal to provide additional information to the customs authorities on the source of the currency, financial bearer negotiable instru­ments or precious metals or stones equal to or greater than QR 50,000 or it's equivalent in foreign currencies exposes you to penalties that may amount to imprisonment or fines, as well as the seizure of such funds,” GAC said. These, according to the information available on GAC website, are subject to penalties that may reach imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years or fines not less than QR 100,000 and not more than QR 500,000 or twice the value of the transferred funds, whichever is more, in addition to confiscating such funds.    

The Maritime Transport Affairs recorded a total of 4,382 transactions during the second quarter of 2021 with an increase by 845 transactions of the first quarter. The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) tweeted that these covered Maritime Vessel’s main services, Maritime Licenses’ services, Sailor Affairs’ main services and Maritime System services. During the first quarter of 2021, a total of 3,537 transactions were carried out by the department. A total of 3,848 services were rendered in Maritime Vessel’s main services section while Maritime Licenses’ services, Sailor Affairs’ main services and Maritime System services marked 22,217 and 295 services, respectively. During the first quarter, the figures stood at 3,111, 24,172 and 228, respectively. Maritime Vessel’s main services include registration, renewal, ownership transfer, duplicate of loss and deletion while Maritime Licenses’ services provide renewal and data modifying services to foreign vessels engaged in operations in Qatari waters. Sailor Affairs’ main services give issuance and accreditation of certificates of competency for marine officers, naval architects and safe manning while Maritime System services feature ownership transfer and certificate of seaworthiness. These services are provided to big vessels. MoTC is providing various services to small and large vessels in order to develop the maritime transport sector. They are also designed to facilitate operations and procedures and keep pace with technological advancements through the automation of all ships services. The various services are provided through integration with the ministry's national documentation and archiving system to ensure business procedures are facilitated and completed through the mobile app application or portal. The electronic services are part of MoTC’s efforts to implement the standards of the government system. E-Qatar, achieving the objectives of the Qatar Digital Government 2020 strategy to upgrade the level of government services provided to individuals and companies.    

As part of the process to give a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for specific groups in Qatar, 750 kidney transplant patients were sent messages and their list handed over to the primary health care centres, a senior official told Qatar TV on Wednesday. "The third dose has no effect on travel and return procedures and will be of the same type of vaccine as the manufacturers have requested not to mix vaccines,” explained Dr Yousuf al-Maslamani, medical director of Hamad General Hospital. The period between the second and third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine is from five to six months, according to him. The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) had on Tuesday approved a third dose of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to individuals suffering from certain immunodeficiency diseases. The MoPH approval was in line with the authorisation recently issued by the US Food and Drug Administration as well as the approval of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The third dose of the vaccine is meant to increase antibodies against infection in people with chronic diseases and those with immunodeficiency," Dr al-Maslamani pointed out. The scientific committee (in Qatar) is following everything and there are studies confirming that the target group individuals are vulnerable to infection and hospitalisation if they do not receive a third dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Regarding the effect of a third dose of vaccine, Dr al-Maslamani said that the risk is only in the first dose and if it passes safely there is less possibility that any additional doses could cause any problem. "The Ehteraz application will remain the same and there will be no changes once a third dose is received," the official said. Referring to the 12-17 age group, Dr al-Maslamani said that 69% have been vaccinated and this is very close to achieving herd immunity.    

Online services by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) recorded an increase in the number of users after coronavirus (Covid-19) precautionary measures were put in place. This was highlighted during an awareness session, organised by the MoI Public Relations Department in association with the General Directorate of Passports on Wednesday. “People started to increasingly make use of the Metrash2 app and the MoI website to avail of residency services, instead of going to the service centres, after the precautionary measures came into effect,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Tariq Eissa al-Aqeedi of the Media and Public Relations Department of the General Directorate of Passports. During the second half of 2020, a total of 1,356,458 residence services were completed through the MoI website, while the number of services during the first half of 2021 stood at 850,066. Metrash2 recorded 763,635 and 440,028 transactions during the second half of 2020 and the first half of 2021, respectively. Al-Aqeedi also said that a new feature with Metrash2 helps companies with the strength of hundreds of employees to complete residence permit renewal easily without human intervention. While addressing the seminar, Lieutenant Fars Mubarak al-Dossari said that a new Qatar Visa Centre (QVC) will be opened in Tunisia. “The QVCs are set up and operated in co-operation with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Public Health,” he said. “An integrated recruitment system, enabled through the QVCs, is helping both employers and employees complete the procedures easily.” “The centres ensure the protection of their rights,” al-Dossari noted. He added that the QVCs ensure transparency in completing the necessary procedures. They have brought in a systematic wage protection system that prevents exploitation and illegal practices by intermediaries and brokers. “Employees are now able to get electronic contracts, and this ensures job security and protection from any kind of exploitation,” he said.    

The fourth edition of the Najah Qatari festival will be held for three days from August 26 at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC)’s Al Mayassa Theatre. The programme will highlight innovation, invention, inspiration and entrepreneurship in various sectors of Qatar. The event is expected to be attended by prominent personalities, ministers, businessmen, and entrepreneurs. While addressing a press conference earlier this week, festival founder Faisal Bin Khalid al-Otaibi said that the latest edition of the annual event highlights 10 categories. These are the best youth initiative, the best inventor, the best poem for the year 2020-2021, the best social media platform, the best local programme in a local channel, the best social media influencer, the best ministry or government service institution, the best young broadcaster, the best newspaper, and the best entrepreneurial project. Najah Qatari is attended by 16 different entities, including ministries, institutions, and sponsoring companies in special pavilions. The festival is held under the slogan *Yesterday's Dream … Today's Reality. Winners of all categories will be announced at the valedictory ceremony. Voting is done through the Najah Qatari application, where contestants can cast their votes. The festival will also host seven forums, which includes a forum for decision makers while focusing on the success stories, the most prominent stations and challenges, and the Shura Council Forum to discuss the latest developments of the Shura Council election. There will be a forum for poets that includes a poetry night. The government institutions forum will have a session that brings together representatives of various government institutions, who will explain the services and answer questions from the public. A lecture on financial freedom and self-development will be also held, while the 2022 forum will feature the preparation for the FIFA 2022 World Cup. Al-Otaibi said the festival will be held while strictly adhering to the coronavirus (Covid-19) precautionary measures.    

Taking a cue from the good response it evoked in Qatar and outside, Sajdah, the innovative smart educational prayer rug, by Qatari start up Thakaa Technologies is set to ramp up production. Abdulrahman Saleh Khamis, CEO, and co-founder of Thakaa Technologies, told Gulf Times that the company is looking to fulfill the preorders soon while efforts are on to produce more units of the innovative rug. Described as the first of its kind, the rug helps new Muslims and children learn to pray with the help of technology while guiding prayer training and helping recite the Holy Qur'an. “The response during the crowd funding and preorder period was overwhelming. We could achieve the target within one hour and it doubled within 48 hours after the crowd funding was launched,” Khamis said. What is exciting, according to Khamis, is that 55% of the total pre orders were from outside Qatar, especially from the US, the UK, Singapore and Australia. With a built-in LED display Sajdah supports Arabic, English, and Transliterated Arabic. The text of the Holy Qur'an is displayed while a speaker helps the worshipper hear the voice of recitation and prayer while guiding him to the next action. Through the Sajdah mobile app the rug could be paired with smartphones and Apple Watch. “Parts of the Holy Qur'an that the worshipper wants to display during the prayer could be set. The speed of the prayer could also be set,” Khamis said. He added that efforts are on to update the rug while adding more features. Also, Thakaa Technologies is looking to minimise the production and marketing cost in order to draw more buyers. “We are looking to make it affordable for all those who want to buy,” Khamis said. Khamis conceptualised the idea as he was driven by the desire to help worshippers easily and fairly perform prayers. The idea was selected by Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) that supported Khamis to materialise his dream. It was displayed on QF’s edutainment TV show Stars of Science. Khamis was one of the finalists of the show. While expressing his gratitude to the QF and QSTP Khamis said the XLR8 programme helped him grow as an innovator and transform his idea into business. Khamis is currently working as the deputy CEO of the Qatar Scientific Club has been nominated in the best inventor category while Sajdah was nominated in the best startup project category of Najah Qatari Festival that demonstrates the most successful inventors and prominent public figures across several fields.    

While ensuring uninterrupted services for the public in various sectors, the Government Contact Centre (GCC) of the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) completed more than 9 mn transactions in the last four years. A tweet by MoTC said the ministry achieved 90% first call solutions while offering support services through hotline 109. The ministry said the hotline marks at least 3 mn transactions a year. Complying with the vision outlined in Qatar Digital Government 2020 Strategy and seeking to enrich Qatar residents with government e-services experience, the e-Government Steering Committee decided to apply a single sign-on platform for all government e-services and unify all e-services supported through QGCC to receive public inquiries and complaints 24x7. The hotline answers all public queries and issues related to government services.Services are available in eight languages and seven channels with 4 minute average call duration and 20 second average speed of answers. The project was introduced in a bid to provide support services to the public and communicate with customers and with government and semi-government entities in 2007. Also, the initiative was established to support the services provided on Qatar e-Government Portal - Hukoomi. It was set up by MoTC to become a technical support center for various e-services provided by MoTC and other government agencies, in addition to becoming the first governmental line of support to respond to inquiries and complaints from the public. The facility has become a link between all government agencies participating in it and the public. It’s one of the MoTC’s initiatives that enables Qatar’s government to be more efficient, effective, accessible, and customer-centric. In addition, they allow the public to better interact with the government, and executives to have access to information and tools that promote better-informed decision-making. MoTC developed QGCC with the highest level of technology and service as well as the highest quality standards to suit the requirements and services of all government entities and provide the greatest diversity of services to the public. It’s one of the largest government contact centers in the Gulf region, and it accommodates a large number of government entities and institutions.    

Walking is often described and practiced as an answer to the growing threat of lifestyle diseases. But, Wellness Challengers has gone an extra mile by developing walking as a tool to explore Qatar. Under the aegis of Wellness Challengers, walkers often try to enjoy the serene beauty of local places while walking for a healthy lifestyle. “Walking or running is not a mere affair to get physically engaged. We try to explore while enjoying and taking beautiful pics that are shared among our fellow Wellness Challengers members,” said Sameer Vakean, the key functionary of the group. The members use Strava, which is an American internet service for tracking human exercise which incorporates social network features. Status of physical engagement is shared in the application along with pictures of the location. Wellness Challengers has around 80 members spread across Qatar. For walking, the members pick different spots rather than going for a regular place. “Katara, Al Bayt Stadium, Aspire Zone, Al Sadd Stadium and Doha Corniche are all favourite spots of our members. We draw them towards different places by sharing experiences and pics of various new spots through Strava while exploring them during the morning walk,” Sameer said. The members track the health status of each other on a daily basis while sharing tips and getting suggestions by using the application. Besides, there is a weekly meet during which experts hold awareness sessions. Members from across Qatar come all the way to Doha or other places to meet each other during the weekend. Apart from Sameer, the activities of the group are run by Faisal Perambra, Abey Abraham George, Santhosh Desmond Paul and Noufal Thikkodi. The initial motive of forming the collective was to promote a healthy lifestyle among the residents while contributing to the implementation of the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030. “In Qatar, there is an ideal atmosphere that helps walkers stay active. The parks as well as other spots are well equipped with basic amenities. This draws more people towards walking and jogging,” he said. Since its inception, Wellness Challengers has been active in promoting walking. The group has held competitions for students in order to encourage a healthy lifestyle among the younger generation. The functionaries are now looking to ensure the involvement of women in daily activities. “We have so far held family meets. And now the focus is on forming women collectives or making them part of our programmes,” Sameer added. Wellness Challenges is an active participant in sports events in Qatar and it has so far taken part in various activities including the Ancient Greek Virtual Marathon 2021, Ooredoo Doha Virtual Marathon 2021 and IIM Calicut Virtual Marathon 2021.    

With the initiative to reduce water and electricity consumption by 5% in the residential sector entering the third phase, the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa), represented by the National Programme for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (Tarsheed), has urged the public to co-operate. A video shared by Tarsheed recently on its platform said users will be contacted by Kahramaa’s call centre 991 to give information and technical support regarding consumption reduction. Kahramaa has so far asked the customers to fill out the residential consumption questionnaire which is available on its website (https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=wrLTTGTT8U2IjXG6Q6aSaIPHiBvakf5GiD2AK6hU8slURFpSTjNHRFVGMklNRjhWM0pKNEdXNlNFMi4u) as part of its efforts to assess the habits of water and electricity consumption. As part of the intensified ongoing awareness campaign, Kahramaa has published consumer guidelines while using AC, lamp, electric vehicle charging and other appliances. Also, the Corporation is sharing tips that help electricity and water consumers bring down consumption while helping the corporation achieve the goal. In April, Kahramaa, launched its initiative to obtain 5% reduction in consumption by using practical and available solutions at the lowest possible cost. Saving electricity by 5% is estimated at about 600 gigawatts per hour and saving 5% of water is about 11mn cu m. This is expected to help the country achieve savings estimated at about QR212mn. The third phase runs from August 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022. As per the plan, a interactive platform through an electronic application will be launched. This will provide a plan designed for each subscriber to achieve the efficiency of electricity and water use specifically in each house and according to the number of electrical appliances and the quality of water tools. The fourth phase will be run from February 1, 2022 to March 1, 2022 while evaluating the previous phases. Results of the initiative will be announced during this phase. The initiative contributes to Qatar National Vision 2030 by raising awareness, endorsing rationalisation techniques and promoting responsible consumer behaviour with detailed follow-up techniques being implemented to provide customers with support and guarantee long-term results. The initiative will be implemented in 2021 and 2022 in four basic phases. It’s designed according to the consumption pattern and housing type for everyone who takes part. The campaign is run in various phases that include filling out the residential consumption questionnaire, analysing the results of the questionnaires and launching an interactive platform on the Tarsheed page on the Kahramaa website to follow up on the participants on how to reduce 5% of the electricity and water consumption in every home. Besides, an interactive platform through an electronic application will be launched. This will provide a plan designed for each subscriber to achieve the efficiency of electricity and water use specifically in each house and according to the number of electrical appliances and the quality of water tools. Results of the efforts in various phases will be announced.    

The Metrash2 service marked more than 6mn transactions in 2020 with an increase in excess of 90% over 2019. This was announced during an awareness seminar by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) on Sunday. A total of 6,004,327 transactions were executed by various government departments in 2020 while the number of transactions stood at 3,152,015 in 2019. While addressing the seminar, First Lt Ali Ahmed al-Eidrous, officer at Smart Devices Branch at E Services Section of the General Directorate of Information System of MoI, said Metrash2 has ensured convenience for individuals and companies while helping them avail services without going to government offices and service complexes. He said that there are more than 2mn Metrash2 users who are availing various services in various languages through smartphones and tablets. A total of 242,183 iOS users along with 1,784,282 android users avail various government services through the application. The MoI official said Metrash2 provides secure and encrypted services. “Information security is ensured with connection to the backend that’s protected with different layers. Metrash2 has multiple level data security by encrypting the information,” he explained. Among the services, residency renewal topped while traffic violation payment and services of National Address came in second and third places. The MoI official said that efforts are on to introduce more features with Metrash2 adding that the application will draw more users with better facilities.    

While continuing its efforts to improve e-services, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has introduced new features on Metrash2. These features include a facility to issue Residency Permit with birth certificate for newborns and the renewal of residency permit of employees. The new e-wallet service with official documents including Qatar ID and driving licence can be used for MoI services and enables sharing documents through WhatsApp, e-mail and messages. Another new facility on Metrash2 helps companies renew Residency Permit for employees automatically without intervention of public relation officers. “The companies need to open an account with QNB and link it to their Metrash2 accounts. Companies will get notifications as the residency permits (of the employees under their sponsorship) are about to expire. They are renewed with the fee deducted from the bank account. The renewed Qatar IDs are delivered to the company through Qatar Post,” said First Lt Ali Ahmed al-Eidrous, officer at Smart Devices Branch at E Services Section of the General Directorate of Information System of MoI. He was addressing an awareness seminar organised by the ministry on ‘E Services of the Ministry of Interior’ yesterday for company representatives, community leaders and the general public. Al-Eidrous, who explained the functions and features of Metrash2, said crimes could be reported to the relevant authorities by making use of the feature that is available with the ‘Communication With Us’ window of the application. “There is no need to go to the police station to lodge complaints if crimes are spotted,” he said. Various services regarding visa application, renewal and extension could be easily carried out with Metrash2 without going to immigration offices, the official added.    

The Cultural Forum, an Indian expatriate organisation, has won accolades from the Qatari authorities for supporting the fight against the Covid-19 second wave. The forum functionaries recently received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Communicable Disease Center of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) for services during the pandemic crisis. “The award came as an appreciation for organising plasma donation drives," Cultural Forum general secretary Majeed Ali said. The certificate was presented by Communicable Disease Center medical director Dr Muna al-Maslamani. A total of 60 volunteers from the forum donated plasma to treat Covid-19 patients. The organisation had conducted a month-long campaign to raise awareness on plasma donation. The donors made their registration through an online portal set up by the forum. "After the initial verification, the donor data was handed over to HMC. The authorities needed support and our volunteers stepped in. We carried out online and offline awareness campaigns. HMC arranged all facilities for the donors while providing technical requirements," said forum vice president Mohamed Kunchi. A blood donation campaign, in co-ordination with the Indian Cultural Centre, saw around 100 volunteers contributing. The forum volunteers were also active in helping patients meet various requirements. "Food kits were distributed to around 100 families and 100 bachelors each while they were in quarantine," Ali said. More than 150 kits were given away at labour camps. "We also convened a meeting of 60 employees, of various saloons, rendered jobless by the Covid-19 crisis and gave them food kits as well as emotional support," the official recalled. Cultural Forum volunteers, with the support of experts, also offered tele-counselling to patients in order to boost their mental health. Also, medicines were given to the patients who were quarantined.