PM youth programme reaches around 170 million Pakistanis, says Rana Mashood

KARACHI: Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PYMP) Chairman Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan said Pakistan’s young population is the country’s biggest strength and stressed that creating opportunities for them is vital for lasting economic stability, according to an official statement issued on Friday.

During a visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Mashood said the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme serves nearly 70% of Pakistan’s population, or about 170 million people, out of a total population of around 240 million. He said involving such a large youth population remains a major challenge, but added that success in doing so would bring significant benefits, while failure to engage young people constructively could lead to serious socio-economic problems.

He said the programme is built around four Es: education, engagement, environment and employment. As part of that framework, he said, Pakistan’s first Digital Youth Hub has been launched to connect young people with available opportunities.

Mashood urged chambers of commerce across the country, including KCCI, to register with the platform. He said around 800,000 young people are currently registered with the Digital Youth Hub, while more than 4,000 organisations from Pakistan and abroad are also linked to it.

He added that Pakistani missions overseas are connected with the hub and share job, education and training opportunities available in their respective countries. According to the details shared by him, the platform currently carries more than 100,000 employment opportunities in Pakistan and other countries, along with over 3,000 scholarships in educational and technical fields. He said the system is based on artificial intelligence and its data is updated every day.

Loan scheme and employment policy

Referring to another major initiative, Mashood highlighted the Prime Minister’s Youth Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme. He said loan disbursement under the scheme stood at Rs80 billion from 2013 to 2024, and that the amount was raised to Rs200 billion last year. He added that the government now plans to increase the allocation further to Rs250 billion during the current year.

He said each loan issued under the scheme creates an average of 3.3 jobs. He also advised KCCI to set up a facilitation centre to help young people understand the procedures for obtaining loans.

On wider policy measures, Mashood said Pakistan’s first Youth Employment Policy has been introduced and approved by the cabinet. He said the policy envisions at least 35% participation of women in the labour force.

He further said the government is working on Pakistan’s first National Adolescent and Youth Policy, under which young people have been divided into three age groups: 10 to 15 years, 15 to 19 years, and 19 to 29 years.

KCCI calls for stronger collaboration

Earlier, KCCI Senior Vice President Muhammad Raza said young people make up the majority of Pakistan’s population and that their empowerment is necessary for sustainable economic growth. He proposed closer engagement between the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme and KCCI to support internships, apprenticeships and startup incubation opportunities for youth.