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LAHORE, Jan 28 (APP):Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has inaugurated the province’s first-ever flagship youth empowerment initiative, the Parwaz Card, aimed at providing financial assistance and employment opportunities to skilled youth across Punjab.
Addressing graduates of technical training institutes, here on Wednesday, the chief minister said that 250,000 young people have completed technical training, while over 114,000 have secured employment, including 97,000 within Pakistan and 33,000 abroad. On the occasion, she also launched three complementary initiatives, Creative Hands, Rah-e-Rozgar, and the Skill Development Portal, to further strengthen the province’s skills development ecosystem.
Under the Parwaz Card programme, CM Maryam Nawaz announced interest-free financial assistance of up to Rs300,000 for skilled youth, particularly those seeking overseas employment, to protect them from exploitation by unscrupulous agents.
The chief minister met 90 students trained in various technical trades, interacted with them at their seats, and inquired about their skills and employment status. Expressing satisfaction over their success stories, she appreciated students excelling in multiple disciplines, including a mosque imam who had also completed an electrician’s course. She also met transgender students and assured them of dignity, inclusion, and full state support.
Speaking to graduates of institutions affiliated with the Punjab Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Department, the chief minister said the provincial government is committed to investing every rupee of the public exchequer in the youth. She emphasized that scholarships alone are insufficient, adding that the state is now ensuring training, market access, and employment opportunities.
She said that over 200,000 young people across Punjab have gained access to improved livelihood opportunities, while government teams have been dispatched to the Gulf region to explore job markets for Pakistani youth. She noted that skilled workers are earning up to $500 per month by working from home after completing vocational training in fields such as tile fixing, welding, electrical wiring, IT, and e-commerce.
Highlighting future-oriented reforms, CM Maryam Nawaz said artificial intelligence (AI) education has been made mandatory in schools, adding that she herself had attended an AI training session along with provincial ministers, a first for any chief minister. “In the age of AI, every decision must be knowledge-based,” she remarked.
Reiterating her vision, the chief minister said Punjab’s workforce must transition from low-paid labour to a highly skilled and globally competitive asset, stressing that Pakistan must move from “brain drain to brain gain.” She added that the Parwaz Card would support every skilled youth going abroad with financial assistance of up to Rs300,000.
She concluded by envisioning a Punjab where products proudly carry the label “Made in Punjab,” urging skilled youth to play a constructive role in national development and remain vigilant against anti-state narratives.