Creating opportunities: Youth Internship plan set to continue

‘The government is likely to allocate Rs1 billion for next year’.

LAHORE:

The provincial government is planning to continue its Youth Internship Programme during the next financial year, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The programme aims to impart productive skills to unemployed youth to obtain better employment opportunities, an official said.

The government had earmarked Rs1.5 billion for the Internship Programme in the financial year 2013-14. During the first half of the financial year, around 15,000 young people were awarded internships between July and December in 2013. Each intern was paid a Rs12,000 per month stipend. In the second half of the financial year, 88,000 people applied and 58,000 were selected after a scrutiny process. Out of them, 20,000 were offered internship and 18,000 joined the internship programme. The government attached 20 per cent of them with public sector organisations. The remaining 80 per cent was attached with private sector employers including some multinational companies.

People below the age 30 years with 16 years of education or technical/vocational diploma holders, sub-engineers, health technicians, paramedics, agriculture and livestock technicians who have degrees/diplomas recognised by the HEC/Technical Boards are eligible for the programme.

The popularity of the programme has compelled the government to continue it for another financial year, an official from the Planning and Development Board requesting anonymity said. The government may allocate Rs1 billion for it in the next budget, he said.

‘Hospitals will get missing facilities soon’

Health Secretary Ijaz Munir said on Monday the government planned to provide missing facilities at all public hospitals.

He said vacant posts of doctors and nurses would be filled during the next financial year. He said the government would also build hostels for medical staff. He was addressing the inauguration ceremony of a nursery at Government Said Mitha Teaching Hospital.

The health secretary also administered polio vaccine drops to children at the hospital as part of the three-day polio campaign in the city.

He also visited various sections of the hospital and lauded the performance of MS Haq Nawaz Bharwana.

He said 12 years ago, the hospital was almost deserted but under the health development programme of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, it had become a state-of-the-art hospital where hundreds of patients visited daily. He said over 1,572,000 children would be administered polio drops during the on-going campaign.

He said a polio campaign was also being run in 22 union councils of Sheikhupura district.

‘Use of chemicals should be discouraged’

Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique said on Monday that modern tools should be used for dengue fever prevention so that damage caused to the environment through the use of chemicals could be avoided.

He was presiding over a meeting regarding the use of new techniques for biological control of dengue fever at the Civil Secretariat.

Use of genetically-engineered mosquitos for eradication of dengue mosquito was discussed in the meeting.

British experts present at the meeting said genetically engineered mosquitoes had been used successfully in Brazil.

The meeting also formed a technical committee to formulate recommendations regarding use of genetically-engineered mosquitos for controlling dengue.

The committee will submit its recommendations in the light of local weather conditions, impact of temperature on the mosquito and laboratory tests.

British expert Hayden Perry, the health secretary, the director general of the health department, King Edward Medical University vice chancellor were also present.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2014.