LAHORE:Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Youth Affairs Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Monday said that the incumbent government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was taking all-out measures to provide the youth right direction and platform so that they could excel in all fields including sports.
Addressing at a Football talent hunt program under the Prime Minister’s Youth Program being launched at University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences UVAS, she regretted that the youth was misguided and engaged in negative politics by the previous government of the PTI.
She said that the year 2023 had marked the 10th year since the launch of Prime Minister’s Youth Program started by the PML-N in 2013 for engaging the youth towards positive activities.
Shaza Fatima said the year 2023 had been declared as year of the youth on the directions of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.
She said it was the PML-N government which always took exemplary practical measures for the uplift of the youth like youth loan scheme under which soft loans were extended to the youth for starting own business, and added that around Rs 95 billion of amount had been disbursed among the youth so far under loans scheme enabling around one lac youth to start or expand existing businesses.
The PML-N believed that the youth could bring about real change if they were given right direction and platforms to express their skills and abilities and the present government was making every possible effort in this regard.
The SAPM said that the PML-N government provided laptops to the students along with providing scholarships so that bright students could further excel and earn a good name for the country here and abroad.
She said sports facilities were being provided to the youth in various games and currently football hunt program had been started to bring the talented players on a platform.
The PML-N had also arranged skills training to the youth as the training courses for 60,000 youth were underway while 40,000 others had already completed their training courses.
She said that this talent hunt program would lead to competitions at regional and provincial level to make the talented youth players of national level.
The SAPM said the future of the country was linked to the youth provided they continue playing positive role instead of becoming a tool of negative activities.
She said the PML-N had a history of steering the country out of challenges whenever it was given a chance to serve.
The people of the country were experiencing 20 plus hours’ load-shedding and terrorism incidents when it came into power in 2013, however the dynamic leadership of the PML-N put the country on track to speed progress by eliminating power load-shedding as well as terrorism.
She said her government believed in equal opportunities and social status for male and females and took measures to ensure the same.
She said this football talent hunt was being organized in collaboration of UVAS, Higher Education Commission and University of Sargodha.
Former Punjab Minister Rana Mashhood, former MPA Hina Pervez Butt, Vice Chancellor UVAS Naseem Ahmed and others were also present.
In his address, Rana Mashhood appreciated the role of HEC and UVAS for promoting sports activities and said that the PML-N was playing a leading role in providing the youth with more opportunities in sports and other fields.
He said that the Punjab was the first province which gave first ever youth policy along with holding mega youth festivals to promote healthy activities.
He said the PML-N was going to revive sports activities in the province and recent talent hunt programs were a part of it.
He regretted that the previous PTI government stopped work on 17 sports complexes which were being established throughout the province by the PML-N for the youth of the province.
Later, honorary shields were distributed among the distinguished guests. SAPM Shaza Fatima who was the chief guest, opened the talent hunt trials by kicking the football at the ground.