Punjab govt to launch Rs6.3b soft loan scheme for skilled workforce

Minister says PTI’s govt started collecting data of students who acquired technical education

LAHORE: The Punjab government is planning to initiate a soft loan project of Rs6.3 billion under which students from technical institutions of public and private colleges would get funds for business purposes.

Punjab Minister for Industries, Commerce and Investment Mian Muhammad Aslam Iqbal revealed this in the Punjab Assembly while responding to a query of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) MPA Sohaib Ahmed Malik over the future of those students who are getting technical education from different institutions being run by TEVTA.

During the question hour session, the minister responding to a query of another MPA, revealed that the government is initiating a new ‘Hunarmand programme’ under which 13,000 people will be taught Chinese language free-of-cost.

The provincial minister, shedding light over technical education, claimed the loans ranging from Rs100,000 to Rs3 million, would be given to the people to run their businesses.

He said the government would give 80% capital while 20% would be included by the debtors from his own pockets. Similarly, the government would give capital up to 90% to women and the rest 10% would be included by the women from their own resources.

Operational charges of 7% will be issued to men while 6% to women. He said the previous government had not collected the data of those students who got education from said technical institutions.

The minister said the PTI’s government started collecting the data of students who acquired technical training and education as no one knew whether they had left Pakistan or secured jobs in the country.

As PML-N’s lawmaker Malik Muhammad Ahmed asked the trend of learning Chinese language is declining after the fee was imposed by the government claiming the imposition of the fee is tantamount to keeping at bay the poor people who wanted to learn the language.

He asked whether the government had a plan to lift imposition of the fee so the trend to learn the said language could be restored.

Aslam Iqbal replied that the government had initiated this programme free-of-cost but later the government started charging a fee following the non-seriousness of students.

He said Chinese language is necessary for the CPEC project and to understand or convey messages when Chinese visited Pakistan. However, he vowed that the government was issuing Rs2,000 per student per month for teaching Chinese language.

On this, Speaker Elahi intervened and said Rs1,000 should be fixed rather than charging Rs2,000. Iqbal said the government would act upon the instructions passed by the Speaker. At which Speaker Elahi said it was not directed just a suggestion and the government should follow what policy the government had for it.

Iqbal said the government’s objective to impose a fee was merely to create seriousness amongst students as the students did not take it seriously. When they will impose a small fee on them they will show their seriousness, he maintained.

As the proceedings of the House started, PML-N’s MPAs expressed their gloom over police officers’ misconduct with them at the accountability court where they were not allowed to enter the court even  though they showed their cards.

Punjab Minister for Law Basharat Raja made it clear that the government had established SOPs taking into confidence the MPAs of oppositions about how they will go to courts. But if they (PML-N’s lawmakers) have the same objection and they deemed the problem is still there, he ensures the house that he holds a meeting with them where the police high-ups will also be called to address their (MPAs) issue.

In the last phase of proceedings, the opposition lawmakers protested strongly over the long speech delivered by Mian Aslam Iqbal on the general discussion on price control.

They claimed the minister normally gives his policy statement at which the MPAs from both sides delivered their speeches and give their suggestions and then the minister gives his windup speech.

But this was not in accordance with the rules that the minister was giving his windup speech before speaking the MPAs. Finally, the proceedings were adjourned by Friday (today) 9:00 am. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2019.