Govt to soon launch training programme for educated youth: Maryam

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif Friday said that federal government will soon launch a one-year training programme for the educated youth of the country to bring them in national mainstream.
“Under this scheme about 50,000 internships will be provided to students, having sixteen years of education,” she added, while addressing the Youth Development Programme certificate awarding ceremony.
The ceremony in which top position-holders of skilled youth programme were given away certificates by Maryam Nawaz, Minister of State for Education and Training Baligh-ur-Rehman and Chairperson Prime Minister’s Youth Development Programme Leila Khan, was organized by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.
Maryam said that internees of the programme would get training according to their education in public and private institutions of the country. “Students of religious seminaries meeting HEC criteria will also be inducted in the skill development programme,” she added. She said under the Youth Development Programme so far 25,000 youth from all over the country, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir had been imparted training in around 100 trades. “It is heartening to note that the youth trained under this programme have started getting jobs,” she maintained. She said that the training to the youth had started providing results. She said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his election campaign had promised with the youth that after coming into power he would take steps for their welfare. “The prime minister fulfilled his promise by initiating a number of schemes for the youth, including laptop scheme, fee reimbursement scheme and interest free loan scheme for the youth,” she added. She said that Pakistan had talented youth, who wanted to support their families and contribute in national development.
“The steps taken by the present government would help make them (youth) useful citizens of the country,” she added. Maryam pointed out that the youth of the development programme, were being given stipends purely on merit and above party affiliations. She said that those who had been criticising the laptop scheme were now planning to launch such schemes in their own provinces. She said that she was happy that the Youth Development Programme that commenced under her chairpersonship, was heading forward quite successfully.
“In the first phase of this programme each youth was given a monthly stipend of Rs2,000 but in the second phase they would receive Rs2500 per month each, while those belonging to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas would be paid Rs3000 per month,” she maintained.
She said that the incumbent chairperson of Youth Development Programme Leila Khan had worked with her as advisor and she had full trust in her abilities. She said for her the position did not matter as she could serve the nation even without that. “My father has the honour to serve this country for the third time as prime minister. I feel honoured to assist him in his work for the welfare of masses,” she added.
Maryam said that when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) came into power, Pakistan was facing a host of challenges but the prudent policies adopted by it had put the country on the path to progress and prosperity. She said that the prices of Ghee, vegetables and other edibles had decreased significantly, while the power situation had also started improving. She and the Prime Minister were personally trekking the loadshedding and steps were being taken to address the issue, she added.
Earlier, in his inaugural remarks, Minister of State for Education and Training Baligh-ur-Rehman said when the PML-N came into power the country was facing several challenges, including energy, economic and extremism issues but the political acumen of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and steps taken by his government had started to bring it out of those crises. He said that the schemes launched by the government for youth were being hailed the world over.