ISLAMABAD ( Web News )
President Dr Arif Alvi has underscored the need for utilizing the potential of youth for the socio-economic development of Pakistan. He said that youth constituted over 68% of the country’s population and they required to be imparted various skills to contribute to economic development. He said that the future of Pakistan was dependent on the youth and we needed to make them professionally efficient by providing them different skills and making them productive members of the workforce for local and international markets. The President made these remarks while addressing the members of the 2nd National Youth Council, who called on him, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, today. The President said that NAVTTC and TEVTA provided different skills and advised the youth to benefit from the skill development program under the PM Kamyab Jawan Program. Lauding the Kamyab Jawan Program, the President said that it played a significant role in providing business loans to young entrepreneurs and skill-based trainings. He congratulated the National Youth Council on their selection and advised the Council to engage youth for making Pakistan a prosperous country by supporting the marginalized segments of the society. He also urged the Council to create awareness among the people about the financial loans under PM Kamyab Jawan Program. Billions have been allocated for the program but, unfortunately, the loans available for the women and the Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) are largely unutilized due to lack of information among them, he added. Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Kamyab Jawan Program, Mr. Usman Dar said that the Youth Council was a role model for the youth. Mr. Dar briefed the President that the purpose of forming the National Youth Council was to politically engage talented youth so that they could contribute to the policy making aimed at youth empowerment and development in Pakistan. The representative of UNFPA, Dr Bakhtior Kadirov appreciated the steps of the Pakistani government for empowering the youth and providing them opportunities especially scholarships for education, financial loans and skill development.