Wazir-i-Azam Kamyab Naujawan Programme
The youth of any country are its assets and in the case of Pakistan potential for growth, as Pakistan has one of the largest youth populations in the world. If the youth are provided proper facilities and opportunities to grow then their potential economic power can be harnessed for the greater good of Pakistan.
The federal government has now launched the Rs100 billion Wazir-i-Azam KamyabNaujawanProgramme ( WAKNP) under which the youth will be given soft loans up to Rs5 million. This is an excel
lent endeavour and the government must be lauded for launching of this programme.
According to WAKNP soft loans of Rs100,000 to Rs500,000 will be given at six per cent interest rate and Rs50,000 equity, while loans of Rs500,000 to Rs5,000,000 will be provided at eight per cent markup with 20 per cent equity.This is an ambitious programme to empower the youth specially the 18 to 35 yearsolds and will allow them to stand on their own feet and not be dependent on others.
WAKNPwould help engage young people in economic and trade activities and create job opportunities. Youth are the backbone of any country and in order to boost the economy it is essential to support them. Women, who are almost 52 per cent of the population, would be direct beneficiaries of the programme, with 25pc of total loans to be given to the young females for establishing their own small businesses. Women need support and confidence to become effective part of the economy.
A strategic youth development roadmap (national youth development framework) has been devised to empower young people and the framework will be put in place soon. National Youth Development Index and Green Youth Movement have also been devised, which through social engagement, will generate employment opportunities for youth. The stakeholders in Pakistan realize that investing in Pakistani youth equals to investment in stability and future success of the country.
Under the WAKNP, several other schemes that are being launched are PM start-up Pakistan, internship programme, Hunarmandprogramme and KamyabNaujawan employment exchange programme. A youth database would be established in the light of information and surveys conducted by educational institutions and universities for the establishment of PM's Employment Exchange Platform. This would be linked with all government departments so that young people could be employed on vacant posts.
For the first time in the country's history that PM's Youth-Plus Portal had been established to get feedback and suggestions from the youth for development and progress of the country. This is very important for many a times the current generation feels that they do not have a voice and it is important that they are heard and that their voices are recognized.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar recently said such youth support programmes had also been launched in the past but due to lack of an effective and comprehensive strategy these could not bear fruit. Under Wazir-iAzam KamyabNaujawanProgramme, a number of schemes that launch will hopefully be effective, especially if they are properly monitored and followed up.
WAKNP is an excellent programme aimed at providing soft loans, education, and professional skills to the youth. The children and the youth are the future of any country and it is time that we invest in our future. New Pakistan will come about only by empowering the youth, by giving them a stake, a say in shaping their own lives. Prosperity for Pakistan means prosperity for its future generations.