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Dubai Summer Surprises come to town
Dubai Summer Surprises come to town Staff Reporter / 7 June 2013 Starting today, the Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) and Modhesh are back, giving shoppers an opportunity to win Dh250,000 weekly, and up to Dh1 million in prizes. Along with the Dh1 million in cash and shopping vouchers, eight BMW cars will be given away to 17 winners for DSS. As part of the campaign, shoppers are invited to three Dubai malls — Deira City Centre, Mall of the Emirates and Mirdif City Centre. The festival that will run until July 7, will feature non-stop programmes for family entertainment at the malls that will remain open from 10am upto midnight on weekdays and 10am – 1am on weekends. At the Mall of the Emirates, children can watch the popular ‘Bananas in Pyjamas’ pair perform live, inaugurating the first five days of Dubai Summer Surprises. The characters will sing, dance and interact in a show for the entire family. Adding to the excitement, the Xtreme Festival is coming to town complete with trampolines, stilt walkers, jugglers and acrobats, all of whom will be performing for visitors. Starting June 7, every Sunday to Tuesday, the circus will show off their tricks in three unique 20 minute shows, Xtreme Festival, Bed Time Stories, and Treasure Box. Performances will be held at 4.30pm, 6pm and 8.30pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday; and 4:30pm and 7pm Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday — promising a chance for everyone to witness some world-class stunts. Deira City Centre and Mirdif City Centre will bring one of the more-loved cartoon characters, Garfield to the malls. Performing his Happy Birthday to Me stage show, the audience will be invited to participate in a musical celebration. Garfield will start off at Mirdif City Centre from June 7 to 13, before heading to Deira City Centre from June 18 to 24. Shoppers will be transported into a jungle at Mirdif City Centre during the Jungle Circus, that will feature 40 African acrobats, aerial artists, contortionists, musicians and more performing acts of energy, flexibility and strength. From June 14 to 19, the Jungle Circus will have three 30 to 45 minute shows daily. As a special weekend treat, the Smurfs are coming to indoor family entertainment centre, Playnation, for an exclusive show and meet-and-greet with young fans. Starting June 22, the Smurf family will greet children Thursday through Saturday, until July 7. Another character known as ‘the sweetest girl around’, Strawberry Shortcake, will make a special appearance at Deira City Centre from July 1 to 7. Miss Shortcake will perform an interactive show for families to enjoy. Additional roaming entertainment will also take place throughout the DSS to keep families entertained all month long. Dh5m for three seasons Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG), the umbrella organisation of shopping malls in Dubai, unveiled its promotion for Summer is Dubai 2013. This is the sixteenth year that the group has partnered with Dubai Festival and Retail Establishment (DFRE) as a key sponsor to roll out blockbuster shopping fiesta among its participating malls offering winners a chance to win Dh5 million. Majid Al Ghurair, Chairman of DSMG, commented: “We are proud to continue our association with DFRE through a spectacular promotion that complements the three seasons of summer is Dubai 2013. Raffle promotions have always attracted customers and our commitment to offer exciting promotions and winning opportunities is in keeping with the mandate to re-energise the mall industry and trade. As an umbrella organisation of shopping malls we aim at offering shoppers innovative ways to win exciting prizes while enjoying their shopping experience and we are confident that the unique promotion this year will give additional opportunities for shoppers to win.” Positioned across three seasons, the raffle promotion is phased across DSS (from June 7 to July 7), Eid (August 1-14) and End of Season (August 15 – September 7). All shoppers are entitled to one raffle coupon for every Dh200 spent at the participating malls. On the last day of DSMG’s mainstream DSS promotion, one mega winner will also receive Dh100,000 in cash plus Dh100,000 in shopping vouchers. The raffle draws are scheduled to be held on June 13, 20, 27 and July 10. The Eid promotion will offer shoppers an opportunity to win a total of Dh1 million worth of gold and Dh1 million worth of scratch and win gift vouchers. The raffle draws for winning gold are scheduled for August 12, 13 and 14. The ‘End of Season’ promotion will offer a mega winning of Dh1 million and the millionaire raffle draw is scheduled for September 7. The mall fraternity participating in the campaign include Al Bustan Centre, Al Ghurair Centre, Almulla Plaza, Arabian Centre, Al Barsha Mall, Bin Sougat Centre, Burjuman, Century Mall, Dubai Marina Mall, Dubai Outlet Mall, Etihad Mall, Ibn Battuta Mall, Lamcy Plaza, Mazaya Shopping Centre, Oasis Centre, Reef Mall and Time Square Centre. news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
NRI pension scheme to roll out in three weeks
NRI pension scheme to roll out in three weeks Sajila Saseendran / 7 June 2013 The Indian government is set to roll out a social security plan for expatriate Indians in the UAE that is expected to mainly benefit tens of thousands of blue-collar Indian workers. The official launch of the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Suraksha Yojna (MGPSY) is scheduled to be held in three weeks, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE, M.K. Lokesh, said on Thursday. “We have requested the Minister (of Overseas Indian Affairs) to come over for the launch. We are waiting for his date for launching it in three weeks.” He was speaking to Khaleej Times after an interactive session with India’s Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, organised by the Indian Community Welfare Committee (ICWC) in Dubai. The MGPSY scheme is a Pension and Life Insurance Fund that promises a contributory pension, resettlement savings and life insurance for expatriate Indians, who require emigration clearance. An Emigration Clearance Required (ECR) stamp is put on an Indian passport when the holder has not completed Grade 10. Most of the blue-collar Indian workers, who constitute about 60 per cent of the nearly two million Indian expatriates in the UAE, fall under the ECR category and are set to benefit from the project introduced by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA). Lokesh said the government had already entrusted two banks, the Bank of Baroda and the State Bank of Travancore, to facilitate the scheme in the UAE where the government is making the overseas launch of the project. A pilot level project was launched in Kerala after the MOIA secured the cabinet approval for the scheme last year. Ahead of the launch in the UAE, officials from the banks, with assistance from Indian missions, have launched a campaign targeting labour accommodations to raise awareness about the benefits of the scheme among the potential beneficiaries. The ambassador said awareness drives to popularise the scheme will be conducted through the Indian Workers’ Resource Centre, as well. The ministry has also made awareness materials available at the offices of the Protectors of Emmigrants, who monitor the overseas employments of Indians with ECR passports. At Thursday’s session moderated by the ICWC Convener K. Kumar, the Chairman of Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust K. V. Shamsudheen said the scheme would receive more subscribers if the government provided an auto-debit facility from NRI bank accounts in India, thus avoiding additional leg work and service cost every month. In his reply, minister Ahmed said the government would look into that provision subject to its compliance with the existing regulations. Meanwhile, expatriates from the state of Kerala stand a chance to benefit from one more pension and welfare scheme launched by the state government. Chairman of Pravasi Welfare Board of the Kerala government P.M. Abdul Salam, who is in town to raise awareness about the scheme, said only about 125,000 of the estimated 5 million beneficiaries have subscribed to the scheme launched in 2009 even though it is not limited to those holding ECR passports. “People should understand the significance of such welfare programmes, especially in the current scenario where several expatriates are forced to return home due to new labour laws being enforced in some Gulf countries,” he pointed out. Shamsudheen said the MGPSY scheme, like the Kerala model, should also cover expatriates with lower income instead of limiting it to the ECR category. “There are several poor Indians who do not require emmigration clearance. The government should consider including such people also for this scheme that will be a big solace to those from the lower economic strata especially when they return home.” sajila@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Medicines go cheaper from today
Medicines go cheaper from today Asma Ali Zain / 6 June 2013 More than 6,600 drugs to treat chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension will be up to 40 per cent cheaper from today — taking the country’s pharmaceuticals from one of the most expensive in the region to one of the cheapest. The UAE Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that prices of 6,632 medicines would be cut from between 1 and 40 per cent. The move would benefit needy patients the most, especially diabetes, hypertension and heart patients, numbers of which were high in the country, officials said. A boost for patients A diabetes patient who now pays between Dh250-300 a month on medicines can save up to Dh40 per month — or nearly Dh500 per year, according to industry experts. “This difference is quite beneficial in the long term,” said Dubai’s Zulekha Hospital Director of Operations Dr Kishan Pakkal. “People used to say that you cannot afford to fall sick here, now with lower medicine prices, choices will be greater,” he added. Experts also said that the price difference would particularly affect Asians who prefer to buy cheaper drugs from their home countries. The lower prices, in turn, will boost local consumption and benefit manufacturers indirectly. According to a statement issued by Frost & Sullivan in February, the move will also be beneficial for the local pharmaceutical drug manufacturing industry as there will be generic options available for both chronic and acute diseases. “However, the real beneficiary will be the patients — both local citizens as well as the expats,” said Dr Ajay Kumar Sharma, Associate Director, Pharma and Life Sciences Practice, Frost & Sullivan. “This price reduction will promote Asian expats to purchase medicines locally rather than buying it from their home country as there will be marginal price difference. Additionally, this will boost the local consumption and (offset) the price decrease by increased volumes for the manufacturers,” he added. However, individual pharmacies, local agents and mostly international drug companies will get a fair share too. A new price list for drugs has been issued by the ministry which has also put in place a new inspection and control procedure system. The new pricing system that was approved by UAE’s federal Cabinet in February this year has made medicines in the UAE the most affordable in the region, said ministry Assistant Undersecretary for Medical Practices and Licensing, Dr Amin Al Amiri. Price adjustments have been done by pegging the import price to the US dollar and unifying it across the GCC. A total of 7,053 medicines are currently registered with the ministry. Dr Amiri said the system would encourage investment in the pharmaceutical sector in the country. “A study done in five GCC countries showed that medicine prices were the highest in the UAE…with the new prices, 60 per cent of the medicines in the country will now be cheaper than elsewhere in the region,” he said. At least 319 medicines available for hypertension and heart diseases will be available for up to 41 per cent less. Likewise, a cut of between 1 and 47 per cent will apply to 156 diabetes drugs, Dr Amiri said. A 15 per cent profit has been fixed for private pharmacies by cutting customs insurance freight (CIF) charges. Since 2010, pharmacies have been earning only six per cent profit. Dr Amiri also said that the system will support small private pharmacies, prevent smuggling of drugs among GCC countries, discourage people from bringing medicines from abroad and reduce citizens’ complaints about the high prices of medicines. Dr Yacoub Haddad, who represents Phrmag (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association Gulf) said that the most important thing was that patients would be able to afford latest medicines at reasonable prices. “This has been made possible through (pegging the price of medicines to the US dollar),” said Dr Haddad, adding that Phrmag had been in talks with the ministry for 18 months before a suitable system was worked out. – asmaalizain@khaljeetimes.com Express medical fitness centre in Karama A new medical fitness centre that can accommodate over 2,000 people per day has opened in Al Karama. The centre, which will be operational from June 9, provides express medical fitness services and is spread over an area of 20,000 square feet featuring a VIP lounge, a kids play area, two coffee shops, a reading area and is equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities. “The centre provides express medical services which include three options that customers can choose from; within 4 hours, 24 hours or 48 hours. The centre is located in the heart of Karama and will be convenient for the people living in the vicinity,” said Maisa Al Bustani, director of medical fitness at Dubai Health Authority. The centre is located near the Emirates Post office in Karama and will be open from 7.30am to 9.30pm Sunday to Thursday. The Al Satwa Medical Fitness Centre, which had a capacity of accommodating 700 clients per day and also offered express services exclusively catering to female clients, has been closed temporarily for renovation. “We will expand the centre and are carrying out some renovations as it is one of the oldest medical fitness centres in the emirate. In the meantime, clients can use the Karama medical fitness centre, which is three times the capacity of the Al Satwa centre and it also provides express services.” Al Bustani added that female clients can go to the Rashidiya medical fitness centre that caters exclusively to ladies with complete female staff or they can choose any of the other medical fitness centres in their vicinity. Continue reading
