Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday inaugurated a string of mega initiatives for the huge young bulge of the country, providing them opportunities to amply explore their innate talents and potential for shaping the country’s future. Under the prime minister’s vision, the Federal Government had launched the PM’s Youth Development Initiatives by unveiling 15 mega programmes for empowering the younger generation and equipping them with modern education.
According to a report of the United Nations Development Programme, currently 64 percent of the nation is younger than 30 and 29 percent is between 15 and 29 years. Pakistan now has more young people than it has ever had, and this is forecasted to continue increasing until at least 2050. Considering this key factor, the Federal Government had unveiled the Prime Minister’s Youth Development Package worth Rs 150 billion to empower the youth, who are the ‘biggest asset’ of the country.
These programmes included Ba-Ikhtiyar Nujawan Internship Programme, PM’s Youth Laptop Programme; 5,000 scholarships for the students of Balochistan & Ex- FATA; 75 National Top Talent Scholarship Programme; Establishment of Seerat Chairs; Establishment of Sub-Campuses of Public Sector Universities in the least Developed Districts of Pakistan; Youth Skills Training Programme; Young Development Fellowship Programme; 7 Centers of Excellence; Pakistan Innovation Fund Young Development Leader Award; Special Development Scheme for the Uplift of the 20 poorest districts of Pakistan; Young Peace and Development Corps and 250 Mini Sports Complex across Pakistan. These initiatives also included 2,000 internships for young engineers, 20 under-developed districts transformation programme, Pakistan Innovation Fund, and 75 National Top Talent Scholarships Programme. Similarly to enable a vast young segment, the prime minister also launched the Youth Business and Agri Loans Scheme which provides opportunities to the youth to earn their livelihood through different business and agriculture initiatives.—APP
