Sara Gill becomes Pakistan’s first transgender doctor
Dr. Gill has been described as a “beacon of hope” for the country’s neglected transgender community to pursue their dreams.
South Asia
South Asia spans countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and their neighbors. This archive gathers progress stories from the region — covering public health, education, climate adaptation, economic inclusion, and more.
Pakistan confirms appointment of first female Supreme Court judge
A commission that decides on the promotion of judges on Thursday voted to make 55-year-old Justice Ayesha Malik the first female judge on the Supreme Court in the 75 years since the South Asian country’s independence.
India achieves target of 40% power generation capacity from non-fossil fuel sources
At COP 21, as part of its Nationally Determined Contributions, India committed to achieving 40 per cent of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil energy sources by 2030.
India greatly enhances solar module manufacturing incentive
India has increased its incentive package for solar module manufacturing by a factor of 5, to $3 billion. This scheme is part of India’s efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in renewable power equipment.
Indian state of Andhra Pradesh to buy 7 GW of solar power
The state will enter perhaps the largest solar power purchase agreement with the Solar Corporation of India. Utilities will supply the power to over 1.8 million farmers for nine hours a day for free.
Bhutan, Suriname, and Panama are now “carbon-negative,” absorbing more emissions than they produce
What they have in common is strong protection of their carbon-absorbing forests alongside increasingly tough measures to hold down climate-changing emissions.
Ten countries now generate almost 100% renewable electricity
Albania, Bhutan, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Iceland, Namibia, Nepal, Norway, and Paraguay all now generate more than 97% of their electricity from renewable sources.
India to install EV chargers every 50 kilometers of national highway by 2023
NHAI will install an EV charging station along the national highways every 50 kilometers by 2023. This is over 40,000 kilometers of highways, with a plan of almost 700 charging stations.
Pakistan’s first Transgender Protection Centre opens in Islamabad
The Transgender Protection Centre would provides legal aid, basic health facilities, psychological counselling, and temporary shelter, among other services.
Bangladeshi government to become secular, reverting to 1972 Constitution
The announcement from Bangladesh’s junior information minister Murad Hassan came on a day when the country was battling a radical Islamist violence against Hindu temples and Durga Puja pandals.