Govt revives laptop, easy loan schemes for youth

The government on Wednesday announced the revival of various programmes including the laptop scheme under the Prime Minister's Youth Programme (PMYP) with the aim to provide livelihood opportunities to the youth.

The details about the programme were shared by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb and Special Assistant on Youth Affairs Shaza Fatima Khawaja at a press conference in Islamabad.

The information minister said that the programme was launched in 2013 by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, adding that soon after coming to power, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif started the work to revive it.

Marriyum said that the government aimed at providing loans to more than 50 million youths in the age bracket of 15 and 29. She said the youth can access these opportunities by visiting pmyp.gov.pk.

Read more: New youth loan scheme announced

Shaza Fatima Khawaja said that approval has been accorded for the business and agriculture loans. She said the programme is aimed at promoting entrepreneurship in the country.

She said that there would be no interest or collateral on loans up to Rs500,000, adding that the women will also be encouraged to avail the loan.

Shaza said that it is the first time that a national youth employment policy will be prepared which will bridge the gap between industries and academia. Under the policy, she added, the government's aim will be to provide two million jobs to the youth every year.

She said that 100,000 youth will be provided with training in different fields with a special focus on IT.

Shaza said that the laptop scheme is also being revived. "This year, laptops will be distributed amongst 100,000 high achievers. There will be a 50 per cent share for women while transgender will also be accommodated," she added.

She said that the quota of Balochistan in the scheme has also been doubled, adding that the premier will soon launch the scheme aimed at enabling the youth to better compete with the world.

The special assistant said that sports initiatives are also being launched under the programme. She said that the talent hunt has been completed for hockey competitions and soon provincial and national leagues will be held.

Shaza said that applications are currently being accepted for the cricket and football competitions.

She further said that the PTI government copied PML-N's projects and named them "Kamyab Jawan Programme", adding that the previous government had halted most of the programmes that were started for youth.