PESHAWAR, Apr 27 (APP): The Prime Minister (PM) paid internship program has received an overwhelming response from the youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) including merged tribal districts, terming it an excellent opportunity for hundreds of thousands of fresh graduates and diploma holders to get the required experiences in the competitive working environment.
As many as 60,000 paid internships have been announced by the federal government for the youth of Pakistan including KP in the Public Sector Development Projects (PSDP), government, private and development departments under the PM youth development programme.
Under the landmark program, 20,000 internships will be provided in PSDP and 40,000 in government, private and development departments for a period of six months to one year. The beneficiary will receive Rs25,000 to Rs40,000 per month scholarship besides required work experience in an excellent environment from the top professionals and experts.
The PM youth development program is an umbrella project covering 15 programs including a paid internship program launched for the youth of Pakistan. Under this historic program, as many as 15 initiatives are in progress.
PM’s Youth Laptop Program, Ba-Ikhtiyar Naujawan Internship Program, and 5,000 scholarships for students in Balochistan and erstwhile FATA were also announced by the federal government for the economic empowerment of the youth.
Providing an excellent opportunity for the young generation to excel in studies viz a viz choice professions, the program will help equip youth with all necessary skills and expertise to compete at local and international levels.
Ehtisham Qasier, a postgraduate student of the University of Peshawar told APP on Thursday that the PM paid internship was a great opportunity for fresh graduates and diploma holders to get practical experiences and excel in their selected professions besides abroad jobs. He said that many of his friends and relatives belonging to the Nowshera and Peshawar districts had applied for it.
“The applications of the majority of graduates and diploma holders were rejected in the government and private sectors due to lack of professional experiences and skills. The internship would not only provide the relevant experience to the fresh graduates but also provide them cash payment to live with dignity,” he said.
Ehtisham Qaiser said that PM Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif deserved full credit and appreciation for launching the paid internship program that would help facilitate hundreds of thousands of young graduates and diploma holders in the country including KP.
Shahryar Zaman, another graduate and resident of Wapda Town Nowshera has also pinned high hopes for the internship program and eagerly awaiting to get work experience along with payment after selection.
PMLN KP spokesman and former MPA, Ikhtair Wali Khan told APP on Thursday that the program was launched under the Prime Minister’s youth development initiatives by the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives to help serve the over 64% youth population of the country.
He said the Prime Minister’s youth development program has started empowering the youth of Pakistan including girls’ students with modern and technical education.
“PM’s youth development program is among one of the major achievements of the present coalition government aimed at educational, economic and financial empowerment of youth irrespective of their political affiliation, caste and family background.”
In spite of the inherited tough economic and political challenges, PM has successfully launched the landmark youth development and economic empowerment program under which scores of services including ‘The Teleschool Pakistan App, Google for Education and Digital Continuous Professional Development’ started.
Successfully handling the challenge of last year’s devastating floods, the federal government has provided relief to millions of flood affectees in terms of Rs 25,000 per individual cash, agriculture and crop package.
The decisiveness with which the coalition government undertook rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts in all provinces including KP had provided social protection to millions of marooned people and mobilization of the international community and the government resources to help flood victims had globally been praised.
The PML-N leader said the free ‘Atta’ launched by the prime minister has benefited millions of poor households in all provinces including KP in Ramazan.
Wali said scores of alternative energy resources projects including hydel, coal and solar energy were launched in different areas of the country by the government in the last year aimed to make Pakistan self-sufficient in energy.
He said the people of KP and Punjab were fed up with the hollow slogans of PTI, adding Imran Khan had deceived the youth in the name of so-called change.
Ikhtair Wali said that PTI has closed down its own created Ehtasab Commission at Peshawar that exposed Imran’s anti-corruption slogans.
He said, “Parliament is a supreme institution and Pakistan can achieve the height of progress if all state institutions work in its constitutional domain.”
“The people of Pakistan had pinned high hopes on PML-N as it is the only party that can address the economic challenges,” he added.