The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has prepared a National Youth Development Framework (NYDF) to empower the youth socially, economically and politically.
According to the one performance report of Naya Pakistan shared by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information, Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Sunday, Pakistan is the second youngest country in Asia with around 68% of its population below the age of 30 years.
The PTI Government, at its very outset, held extensive rounds of consultations with all the provincial/regional stakeholders, besides international experts on youth development and prepared a vision document, titled “National Youth Development Framework (NYDF)” for steering different initiatives aimed at socio-economic development of youth.
It is based on following six thematic areas: Mainstreaming Marginalized Youth, Employment and Economic Empowerment , Civic Engagement, Social Protection, Health & Well-being and Youth-Focused Institutional Reforms.
In the light of National Youth Development Framework, for the first time in Pakistan, the PTI government notified a 33-member “National Youth Council (NYC)”, comprising outstanding young leaders of country in different sectors, including entertainment, NGOs, IT, sports, private sector, and Madaris (religious seminaries).
The NYC also include provincial youth ministers and officials responsible for formulating and executing youth policies. To implement various initiatives for the socio-economic development of youth, the government launched the Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan Programme, which has a vast array of projects and initiatives in education, skill training, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement.
These initiatives focus on 3Es: Education, Employment and Engagement and include the following six flagship programmes: i. Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (YES) Under this scheme, subsidized business loans are provided to the potential young entrepreneurs for the promotion of SME sector in the country.
Under Skill for All Programme, technical and vocational training is imparted to 150,000 youth both in conventional and high-end technological trades.
Under Startup Pakistan Programme, potential young entrepreneurs will be trained and mentored to conceive, incubate, and mature their business plans through access to digital incubation platform.
The Green Youth Movement (GYM) programme extends small grants to Pakistani youth to bring eco-innovative solutions to tackle environmental and climate crises.
An effective internship programme both for the under grad and post grad students is being conceived with the active participation of private sector. Jawan Markaz is a one-stop solution for youth-related issues at grassroots level. It will not only provide access to sports and other youth engagement activities but also career counselling, mentorship and access to host of digital services.—APP
