ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has emphasized the need for guiding and facilitating youth of the country, particularly from Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, to benefit from the Prime Minister’s Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (YES). In order to empower the youth financially, he said that Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan Programme offered tremendous economic opportunities and the youth were required to capitalize on them by availing loans to establish their businesses. The President made these remarks while chairing a meeting to help address the issues being faced by the youth of AJK & GB in getting loans. The meeting was attended by SAPM on Youth Affairs, Mr. Muhammad Usman Dar and President Bank of Punjab, Mr Zafar Masud at Aiwan-e-Sadr, today while Prime Minister of AJK, Chief Minister of GB, Heads of Banks regarding youth affairs, Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, Chief Minister of Gilgit Baltistan, Mr Khalid Khursheed Khan, President Alfalah Bank, Mr Atif Bajwa, President JS Bank, Mr Basir Shamsie, President National Bank of Pakistan, Mr Arif Usmani, and Head Consumer, Habib Bank Limited, Mr Aamir Kureshi.
SAPM on Youth Affairs, Mr Muhammad Usman Dar, briefed the meeting about the loans disbursed under YES. The meeting was apprised that Rs 19.1 billion had been disbursed among the youth, out of approved loan of 26.2 billion, to establish their businesses. It was further informed that that YES had created more than 30,000 jobs in various sectors. SAPM on Youth Affairs gave details of the disbursed amount by various Banks, including Bank of Punjab, JS Bank Limited, National Bank of Pakistan, Bank Alfalah Limited and Habib Bank Limited that had disbursed loans among youth worth Rs 4.8 billion, Rs 3.5 billion, Rs 2.4 billion, Rs 1.7 billion and Rs 1.6 billion respectively.
Prime Minister of AJK and Chief Minister GB highlighted the issues being faced by the youth in availing loans under the Prime Minister’s Youth Entrepreneur Scheme. The meeting discussed various measures to educate and guide the youth to benefit from the loans scheme. The President advised the Governments of AJK and GB to establish facilitation centres in their respective areas to help facilitate the youth in getting loans. He also emphasized the need to create awareness among the youth by engaging media and local political leaders. The President also asked the Heads of the five banks to establish facilitation desks to guide the youth in getting loans.
The meeting agreed to hold monthly meetings to review progress with regard to the disbursement of leans in AJK and GB.
