Punjab govt to launch ‘soft loan’ scheme for youth

Repayment of loan (up to Rs3m) will begin one year after its issuance

LAHORE: The Punjab government has prepared a soft loan programme for youth that will be formally announced in the provincial budget next month.

This was announced by Punjab Minister for Industries and Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal. He was speaking to the media after holding an open court on Monday.

The minister said that under the programme, the youth will be provided loans up to Rs3 million. The repayment of the loan will be started after one year of its issuance, he added.

He said that people are facing countless problems due to wrong priorities of the previous government. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had also started similar schemes but they were detrimental to the economy instead of providing relief to common people, he added.



Iqbal said people had elected the Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to solve their problems and the government will come up to their expectations, adding that every possible effort will be made to redress peoples' grievances for which a system of reforms is being introduced.

The minister listened to the public issues and problems for three hours and issued on the spot orders to resolve the matters. He added that open courts provide an opportunity to know peoples' problem directly and vowed to continue holding of such sessions in future.

The provincial minister further said that the party’s 100-day programme is being implemented rapidly and solid steps are being taken for the provision of relief to the people. He said that new industrial policy has also been finalised under which industrialisation will be promoted and the special economic zone will be set up.



He said that the creation of new opportunities for employment has much importance in the 100-day programme and 1 million employment opportunities will be generated every year. Reforms are being introduced in the government departments to enhance their capabilities. Using delaying tactics in the solution of peoples' problem will not be tolerated, responsible will be punished, he added.

Iqbal said promotion of technical education is the need of the hour and all-out efforts will be made to promote technical education. All the training programmes of various institutions are being brought under one umbrella. Children, who remained deprived of education due to the inefficiency of former government, will be made useful citizen of society, he said.