Apnarozgar Scheme: Punjab govt urged to extend venture

Traders’ representative body calls upon Punjab Chief Minister to allocate a quota for Islamabad Capital Territory

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has lauded the Punjab government’s initiative of launching the Apnarozgar Scheme to provide passenger and cargo vans to unemployed youth in a bid to provide earning opportunities to thousands of youngsters.

The traders’ representative body called upon Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to allocate a quota for Islamabad Capital Territory in the said scheme to provide earning opportunities to youths of the capital too.

A press release quoted ICCI President Muzzamil Hussain Sabri as saying that the scheme has been launched only for people with a domicile of Punjab which deprives the federal capital’s residents from availing the scheme. He insisted that the chief minister should consider extending the jurisdiction of this scheme.

He emphasised that the government should also give top priority and allocate sufficient funds to promote vocational, technical and skill-development programmes. “Such programmes will enable the youth to acquire knowledge and skills, conduct more income generating activities, improve living standards of their families and play a positive role in strengthening the economy as well,” he said.

He said around 60 per cent of our country’s population comprises of youth and it was very important that this huge young talent should be involved in productive activities to accelerate the pace of economic growth.

He added that federal and provincial governments should consider launching more self-employment and income-generating programmes to support the youth who are already suffering from lack of job opportunities and non-investment of the private sector in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2014.