Youth must be made stakeholders to boost economy: PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said the young people needed to be made stakeholders to boost the national economy, and added the government would provide every facility to the youth to get employment opportunities.

Special Assistant to PM Usman Dar and Finance Adviser Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh briefed the prime minister on the latest figures of the Kamyab Jawan Programme. Consultation was held on expediting the distribution of money among the youth under the programme.

The prime minister called for keeping a close eye on the money distribution process during the programme and that there should be no compromise on transparency and merit at any level. “I am monitoring the programme,” he remarked.

The prime minister also decided to hold a monthly briefing on the progress of the programme. The meeting was told that in a few days, more than 30,000 young people applied for the money and for the convenience of the youth, 21 banks will complete the disbursement process. The meeting was informed that so far Rs1 billion had been distributed among the youth while requests for more than Rs53 billion had been received. The prime minister said the distribution of funds should be completed in a more expeditious and transparent manner. “This programme is very important to eliminate the negative effects of the corona on the national economy,” the prime minister emphasised.

Usman Dar was directed to submit review report every month while the prime minister expressed satisfaction over the progress made so far in the programme.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a high-level review meeting on the steps being taken to promote tourism in the country. The meeting was attended by Minister for Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan, Special Assistants Lieutenant General (R) Asim Saleem Bajwa, Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, and Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Dr Shahbaz Gill.

On the direction of the prime minister, it was decided to set up a National Coordination Committee for Tourism to promote tourism in the country and to improve inter-provincial relations and coordination in this regard. The premier said the NCC meetings should be held regularly. The premier said encroachments must be removed from tourist sites.

It was decided to complete the process of setting up Tourism Authority in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as soon as possible and to immediately launch a campaign to eradicate illegal encroachments on tourist destinations and to formulate a comprehensive and detailed waste management plan for tourist destinations, and comprehensive plans and initiatives be made for the provision of quality travel facilities at tourist destinations in collaboration with the private sector.

The prime minister was informed that the National Tourism Strategy for the next 10 years (2020-30) has been finalised so that better coordination between the Federation and the provinces and systematic steps can be taken to promote tourism in the country.

An action plan for the next five years has been formulated keeping in view the 10-year national tourism strategy. With regard to the implementation of the National Tourism Strategy, uniform standards have been set for each sector of tourism as well as a national calendar for various events across the country.

The prime minister was briefed on the progress made in the implementation of the decisions taken regarding the positive use of government rest houses, governor houses and other government guest houses.

Addressing the meeting, the prime minister said the country has immense potential for tourism. The prime minister said that our aim is to develop the tourist destinations spread across the country in such a way that they reflect our culture and our social values and provide quality tourism facilities to the tourists.

Imran Khan said that promotion of various types of tourism in the country would accelerate the economic process and create jobs and employment opportunities for the local population. In this regard, the prime minister directed that a strategy and plan for the promotion and development of tourist destinations be launched immediately.

The prime minister also stressed on the need to make the measures taken for the positive use of government owned buildings including historic buildings, governor houses, guest houses etc. more effective.

In another development, on the direction of the prime minister, an inquiry was launched into the performance of the police department: Performance report of police officers on solving citizens' problems on the Citizen Portal; Report received from IG Punjab and KP to PM Office, while show cause notices issued to irresponsible and non-performing officers.