Mahmood distributes loan cheques among tribal youth

Insaf Rozgar Scheme targets residents of five merged districts

PESHAWAR: The provincial chief executive on Thursday formally provided loan sanction letters to youth from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) under the Insaf Rozgar Scheme.

The scheme is part of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government’s attempts to provide a respectable and sustainable source of income to youngsters of the area after decades of instability and terrorism.

While distributing the cheques during a ceremony at the Chief Minister House in Peshawar on Thursday, K-P Chief Minister Mahmood Khan stated that the loans will help the youth from the new districts in establishing their businesses thereby not only providing them with a sustainable means of livelihood but also stirring economic activities in the terrorism-hit tribal districts which will help generate employment for residents of the area.

Sanction letters were provided to young men and young women female youth from the tribal districts including Kurram, Bajaur, Dara Adam Khel, Khyber and Frontier Region Kohat.

“Merger of erstwhile Fata into K-P was a daunting task for the provincial government which we have accomplished successfully. Now we are focusing on mainstreaming the tribal districts for which the initiation of the Insaf Rozgar Scheme is a landmark achievement,” the chief minister said.

The loans were provided to the youth who had submitted applications for initiating small businesses  in the tribal belts such as general stores, solar cell and battery shops, cosmetics, clothing business, photocopying stores, shoe shops, utensil shops, cold spots, honey business, tailoring shops, mobile sale and repairs, stationary and sports stores.

CM Mahmood said that they have earmarked a billion rupees for the scheme under which some 5,500 youngsters will be provided with loans to start their businesses.

The chief minister also appreciated the efforts of the military for their financial contributions towards mainstreaming the newly-merged tribal districts.

“The armed forces deserve special appreciation because they have not only sacrificed their lives in combating terrorism and bringing about peace, but have also recently allocated a fair share of their budget for development in the tribal districts,” Mahmood stated.

While addressing the ceremony, the Chief Minister furthered that a comprehensive development plan for the next 10 years has been prepared in consultation with locals, tribal elders and other stakeholders which will help in bringing about revolutionary development in the tribal districts.

“Under the ‘Quick Impact Projects’, the Sehat Insaf Card and Insaf Rozgar Scheme have been initiated on war footings to provide health care and livelihood opportunities to citizens on an emergency basis,” he added.

He further stated that additional funds will be made available for the scheme on a need basis after evaluating the success of the first cohort of loanees. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2019.