Prime Minister Youth Program: A Bright Future for Youth.
.(Asghar Ali Mubarak)..
Youth are a valuable asset of any country and its bright future. Pakistan has a large youth population, and the Government of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Youth Program is a milestone in channeling their talents in the right direction.
Linking the revival of sports to Pakistan’s overall national and diplomatic victories, the Chairman of the PM Youth Program said that no power in the world can stop Pakistan’s progress. A comprehensive talent hunt program is going to be launched in Pakistan on the basis of merit and transparency, where the culture of recommendation will be completely eliminated, and only talent will be brought forward. At the end of this talent hunt, the government of Pakistan will organize a magnificent Pakistan Hockey League. The International Hockey Federation will be the official partner of the academy and the government for the draft of players in this league, through which renowned international players from around the world will come to Pakistani soil and play matches. Regarding the historical background of September, he paid tribute to Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and his team, who achieved great successes against terrorism through ‘Banyan Al-Marsoos’ and the fight for truth. He also appreciated the joint efforts of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, thanks to which the closed doors of the global economy and diplomacy have now been opened for Pakistan on the foreign front forever. Be it economy, education, foreign policy or sports, Pakistan is now moving forward in every field, and the green crescent flag of Pakistan will once again be seen waving with full glory in arenas around the world.
Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program, has officially announced a comprehensive global framework for the revival of Pakistan’s national sport, hockey, saying that Pakistan’s journey of development in the fields of economy, foreign policy and sports has now become completely inevitable. Speaking after the opening ceremony of the hockey match on the occasion of Defense Day, he informed about the most important details regarding high-level diplomatic contacts, upgradation of sports infrastructure and the International Hockey League to be started in the near future so that the series of historic victories of Pakistan in the arenas around the world can be revived. Thanks to the special and personal efforts of the concerned minister and secretary, the seating capacity of the spectators in the stadium is being rapidly increased, and modern floodlights are being installed in the ground to organize day and night matches as per international standards. To remove financial barriers for young players, high-quality hockey kits are being distributed free of cost across the length and breadth of Pakistan, in which the Secretary of the Federation, Mohiuddin Ahmed Wani, has played a very important and key role in the revival of hockey. The government has established structural partnerships with the world’s leading hockey powers, under which after the first batch of players, girls are now being sent to Holland for advanced training in March, while international coaches are being called from Holland to Pakistan to teach our boys and girls the latest techniques at the grassroots level. In this regard, very successful strategic discussions have been held with the President of the International Hockey Federation, Tayyip Ikram, and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, who have formally promised full cooperation in the revival of Pakistan hockey. The Prime Minister Youth Program is a historic initiative of the government to economically empower the youth of Pakistan and build a secure digital and commercial future for them.
A significant amount has been allocated for this program in the federal budget so that the youth can play their most important role in the development of the country.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, this flagship program has been further expanded, and recently, on the occasion of International Youth Day, the first comprehensive “National Youth Employment Policy” in the history of Pakistan has been formally launched. Budget and financial volume: The government has allocated a record amount of Rs 40.50 billion for the continuation of this important program so that loan schemes and other merit-based activities can be continued without interruption. Financial assistance is being provided to the youth to establish their own businesses (start-ups) and equip agriculture with modern technology. So far, Rs 251.25 billion has been distributed to more than 4 lakh young entrepreneurs across the country through this loan scheme.
Loans ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 1.5 million are being provided to youth with new ideas related to IT, e-commerce and fintech on very easy terms. In furtherance of the Digital Pakistan vision, more than 7 lakh laptops have been distributed to talented students across the country on a merit basis. The aim of providing laptops is to connect youth with the global market through freelancing, research, and online commerce.
Prime Minister Youth Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme is a very important and active flagship program of the government to make the youth of Pakistan economically independent and promote small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country. The recent federal budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 has allocated a total budget of Rs 22,400 million (Rs 22.40 billion) for the continuation of this specific loan scheme so that talented farmers and youth with new business ideas (Startups) can be provided uninterrupted funding. According to official data from the Government of Pakistan, loans worth over Rs 251.25 billion have been successfully disbursed to more than 434,000 youth across the country under this scheme. Prime Minister’s Youth Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme provides interest-free and easy-to-use loans to youth to start their own businesses or modernize agriculture. This scheme aims to make youth job creators instead of just job seekers. Youth Skills Programmes: Millions of youth across the country are provided free training in technical and digital skills (such as IT, freelancing, artificial intelligence) in line with the latest market needs so that they can find employment both domestically and internationally.
Youth Laptop Scheme: Honhar University Students are provided with free laptops so that they can further their educational journey by connecting them to cutting-edge research, online education, and the digital world. Talent Hunt Sports Leagues are organized for the physical and mental development of youth through sports and extra-curricular activities so that Pakistan’s name can be made famous nationally and internationally by bringing out talented players from the grassroots level. This programme is proof that if youth are provided with the right resources and guidance, they can become the bright future not only of their families but also of the entire country.
Loans worth Rs 81 billion have been issued to promote entrepreneurial culture among the youth, from which more than 140,000 youth have directly benefited and started their own businesses so far,
More than 99,000 skill scholarships have been given to the youth to take up the latest courses, while educational scholarships worth Rs 68 million have been provided to students who meet the merit criteria,
Laptops were distributed in educational institutions on merit to promote the manufacturing and freelancing sectors, thanks to which the Pakistani freelancing workforce has come to the fourth position in the world, more than 118,000 young athletes got opportunities to advance in the field of sports under ‘Talent Hunt Youth Sports’, while more than 163,000 young creators and new ideas have been supported through the ‘National Innovation Award’, to put the country on the path of sustainable development, the Prime Minister’s Youth Program has set a target of 100 million rupees for the coming years. Revolutionary plans have been approved. Under Pakistan’s first comprehensive National Youth Employment Policy, 1.5 million skilled youth will be sent abroad for employment in the coming years, for which agreements are being made with countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the US. A modern, AI-powered ‘one-stop shop’ platform has been launched in collaboration with PMYP and UNICEF, which is providing direct access to scholarships, career counseling, and job resources to millions of youth on Android and iOS.Under the recent strategic visit of China and the agreements signed on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Pak-China diplomatic relations, 300,000 youth will be provided with the latest IT training with the support of Huawei. One Million Youth Social Mobilizers and National Volunteer Corps: One million youth will be mobilized as social mobilizers to address social development and environmental challenges, while a National Volunteer Corps of 200,000 youth is being established to be prepared for emergency and disaster management. Under the Prime Minister’s Youth Program, a target of 35% mandatory participation of women in employment sectors has been set, while for the first time in history, students of madrassas are also being made part of mainstream development courses so that equal opportunities are available. The collaboration between “Hunarmand Pakistan” and “Prime Minister’s Youth Program” is clear proof that it is impossible to overcome challenges if the educational mindset is replaced with a skill-based mindset. Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan’s vision that “Our goal is to make every youth healthy, educated, and self-sufficient” is the guarantee of Pakistan’s bright future in the true sense. If these policies continue, this young generation will take Pakistan out of economic crises and take it to new heights of development. Under the new employment policy, employment is being provided to the youth directly according to the market demand. Along with this, cash prizes and certificates of appreciation have been awarded to position holders in various educational fields and Danish schools to promote merit. The official launch of Pakistan’s first National Youth Employment Policy was done by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on the occasion of International Youth Day. This policy presents a comprehensive national framework to provide sustainable employment and business opportunities to millions of Pakistani youth, especially those deprived of education, employment, or training. Under the policy, a mandatory quota of 35% to 50% has been allocated for women in Pakistan’s total labor force (jobs) to ensure equal participation of women in economic development. Instead of starting their own business, 10 percent of the annual quota of the academy and the market has been allocated for new startups and business ideas. The government will provide funding and monitoring to these businesses on easy terms,
The Prime Minister has announced that under this policy, young boys and girls will be sent to China on a completely merit-based basis. Where they will be given the highest professional training in modern fields like Information Technology (IT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the government will bear all the expenses. Under the policy, skills and languages are being taught to the youth as per the demand of the market around the world. With the cooperation of countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Turkey and Belarus, 1.8 million (1.8 million) skilled youth will be provided employment opportunities abroad. 5. Employment Exchange in Every District Digital Employment Exchanges are being established in every district of Pakistan to connect job seekers directly with local and national companies. Where the youth can register themselves and get a job on a merit basis. At the heart of this policy is the work of modern technology. It is a “one-stop shop” platform where young people can directly access career counseling, international scholarships, internships, and millions of job opportunities. Unlike ad hoc (temporary) measures, this framework established under the National Youth Employment Policy is now opening the doors to permanent employment by connecting government, industry, and educational institutions. A total of Rs. 40.50 billion (Rs. 40,500 million) has been allocated in the federal budget for skilling and economic empowerment of youth under the Prime Minister’s Youth Program. The main objective of this budget is to directly connect youth with the market through employment, digital skills, scholarships, and start-up funding. Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme (largest tranche) Financial volume: Rs. 22,400 million (Rs. 22,400 million) Objective: To help young entrepreneurs and farmers start their own businesses. To provide easy and cheap loans to start (Startups) and develop the agricultural sector on modern lines. Under this scheme, a total of more than Rs 251.25 billion in loans have been distributed to more than 434,000 youth across the country so far. Prime Minister’s Youth Skill Development Program: To teach the youth the latest technical and digital skills as per the demand of the domestic and international market. Of this, Rs 5.29 billion has been earmarked specifically to impart IT and digital courses to 120,000 youth. Pakistan Education Endowment Fund Financial Volume: Rs. 3,000 million (Rs. 3.00 billion) Objective: To provide scholarships to poor and highly talented deserving students across the country to pursue higher education IT Startups and Venture Capital Fund Financial Volume: Rs. 3,000 million (Rs. 3.00 billion) Objective: To support young people working in the field of technology-based new ideas, software houses, and innovations through venture funding. Other 6 important projects of the Public Sector Development Program: Rs 2,200 million has been allocated separately for infrastructure and youth development. Youth Development Centers (YDCs): Rs 700 million. Kamyab Jawan Talent Hunt Sports League: Rs 500 million. Prime Minister’s Youth Internship Program: Rs 300 million. The aim is to provide paid internships to degree holders in various institutions. Along with this, the government has set aside Rs 24.48 billion in the budget for the expansion of the Danish Schools network to expand the education network so that children from remote areas can also get equal opportunities.
