ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday launched a Digital Youth Hub portal to provide integrated and one-stop guidance on the youth-related initiatives launched by the government.
In his address, the prime minister congratulated the youth on the launch of the facility and assured that the government was expanding youth programme across the country as laptops and business loans were being disbursed across the country.
He told the gathering that Rs30 billion had already been disbursed by the banks to youth in form of business loans.
He said Rs80 billion had been specified for youth-related initiatives including IT programmes, freelancing, IT incubators and others, besides another Rs5 billion allocated for sports projects, the official news agency reported
Prime Minister Shehbaz said he had replicated his idea of an endowment fund at the federal level as an Education Endowment Fund had been set up with Rs5 billion funding.
He said the facilities like laptops and other funding initiatives were only meant for the high achievers of the public sector universities.
The prime minister asked the youngsters to register themselves at the portal to avail the available facilities.
The prime minister thanked SAPM Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Senator Abdul Qayyum, vice-chancellors and members of the youth parliament for their efforts to uplift youth.
He assured the participants of continuing his efforts to empower youth to make Pakistan a great country.
The prime minister told the Azerbaijan ambassador, also attending the ceremony, that a horticultural delegation from his country had visited Islamabad and shared experiences with the CDA which would be replicated in Islamabad.
As the prime minister asked youth representatives to express their emotions, Abdul Hakeem of youth parliament and Muhammad Shehzad of Pakistan Youth Council lauded the leadership of the prime minister for steering the country out of the economic crisis within 15 months.
They spoke against the efforts to fan polarisation in the society and urged the youth to utilise their energies for productive causes.
Both of the youth leaders assured the prime minister of their role in the country’s development and resolved to fully back the government in any cause of nation-building.
Special Assistant to PM Shaza Fatima Khawaja told the gathering that the government had allocated Rs5 billion for skill development and as much amount for sports-related programmes.
She said the Digital Youth Hub was the culmination of all of the prime minister’s initiatives for the youth he had taken during last few months which were actually the manifestation of ‘Shehbaz Speed’.
She said the portal was the one-stop shop and mobile application providing guidance on all initiatives like laptops, scholarships and loans.
