Staff Reporter
Muhammad Usman Dar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs; along with Mr. Asad Umer, Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, chaired a thanksgiving meeting with the heads of participating bodies and his team members, in order to appreciate their efforts for the successful launch of Kamyab Jawan Programme and Youth entrepreneurship Scheme (YES), on 17 October 2019 by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Imran Khan.
The meeting was attended by CEO National Information Technology Board (NITB), Managing Director National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC), Chairman National database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Chairman National Vocational & Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), CEO Pakistan Poverty Alleviation fund (PPAF), SEVP National Bank of Pakistan, and regional Heads of Bank of Punjab and Bank of Khyber.
Addressing the event, Mr. Muhammad Usman Dar highlighted some key figures to gauge the overwhelming response of youth for the Youth entrepreneurship Scheme (YES), one of the flagship initiatives of kamyab jawan Programme.
He said, “Historic reception to the scheme has been given by the youth across Pakistan, as just in a week’s time now 433,149 loan applications have been received online under the scheme. 86% of the applicants are male, whereas 14% of them are female. 77% of the applicants are from Punjab, 11% from KPK, 7% from Sindh, 2% from ICT, and 1% each from Balochistan, AJK, and GB.
44% of the loan applicants are aged 22-30. It is worth-mentioning here that 32% of the loan applications have been received by the applicants who are already running their own businesses, whereas 68% of them come from people who intend to establish new businesses. It would not only empower them financially but would also create a lot of job opportunities for youth in the country. Usman Dar further elaborated that merit and transparency is the hallmark of this scheme, as applicants can track their loan applications online by entering their CNIC numbers, CNIC issuance date and their mobile numbers on Kamyab Jawan Programme web portal (www.kamyabjawan.gov.
pk).
In his closing remarks, Mr. Muhammad Usman Dar appreciated the commitment and efforts of his entire team and organizations involved in the seamless operations and maintenance of Kamyab Jawan Portal, and finally the disbursement of loans to the potential entrepreneurs under the scheme. It would not only cater to the menace of youth unemployment but would also strengthen SME sector in the country, which is a key driver of socio-economic development.
