Under the Parwaz Card programme, interest-free financial assistance of up to Rs300,000 is provided to talented youth
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. SCREEN GRAB
LAHORE:
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has inaugurated a “Parwaz Card” initiative aimed at providing financial support and employment opportunities to talented youth.
Addressing graduates of technical training institutions, she said that 250,000 youths had completed technical training while over 114,000 had secured employment, including 97,000 in Pakistan and 33,000 abroad. She also launched three initiatives – Creative Hands, Rah-e-Rozgar and a Skill Development Portal – to strengthen the province’s skill ecosystem.
Under the Parwaz Card programme, the Chief Minister announced interest-free financial assistance of up to Rs300,000 to skilled youth, especially those seeking overseas employment, to help them avoid exploitation by agents.
She met 90 students who had completed their education and asked about their skills and employment. She expressed joy at their success. including a mosque imam who had completed an electrician course. She also met transgender students and assured them of dignity, inclusion and government support.
Addressing graduates from institutions affiliated to the Punjab Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Department, she said the government wanted to invest every rupee of the provincial treasury in the youth, adding that scholarships alone were not enough and the state was now ensuring education, market access and employment.
She said more than 200,000 young people across Punjab had gained access to improved opportunities, while government teams had been sent to the Gulf region to explore job markets for Pakistani youth. She noted that skilled workers were now earning up to $500 a month working from home after completing vocational training in areas such as tiling, welding, electrical wiring, IT and e-commerce.
