Govt committed to provide employment to youth: Murad

ISLAMABAD, Feb 21 (APP):Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed on Friday said the present government was committed to provide job opportunities to the youth and would utilize all available resources in the best possible way for the national development.

As per prime minister’s directive, pragmatic steps were underway to generate employment opportunities in all the ministries, he said while addressing a prestigious ceremony regarding Youth Internship Programme undertaken by National Highway Authority (NHA).

Federal Secretary Communications Jawwad Rafique Malik, NHA Chairman Capt (R) Sikandar Qayyum, Inspector General National Highways and Motorways Police Allah Dino Khowaja, senior officers from Ministry of Communications, NHA, National Highways and Motorway Police and a large number of students participated.

Murad Saeed said NHA had successfully maintained its ISO certification due to commendable performance.

The NHA’s revenue was enhancing gradually, he said adding to date NHA’s revenue had increased at the rate of Rs59.5 million per day.

Our endeavor, he said, was to make NHA financially self-reliant through generating more financial resources. This would enable the NHA to build roads from their own resources that would ultimately reduce load on national exchequer, he said.

He stressed upon the need of building roads leading to tourist resorts. He said Pakistan had traveled from terrorism to tourism.

Speaking about projects on Public Private Partnerships basis, he said Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway project would be undertaken this year.

He said the NHA had undertaken Youth Internship Programme and the consultants and construction firms working with NHA were made bound to provide employment to the internees of the NHA.

Likewise, the federal minister said job opportunities were being generated in Pakistan Post and the programme was to set up 125,000 franchise post offices in the country.

He said Prime Minister’s Ehsaas Programme was a significant scheme of the present government under which humane steps like Kamyab Nojawan, Shelter Homes, Langar Khanas, Sehat Insaf Card were being undertaken, which was a step forward towards the establishment of a welfare state.

Throwing light on NHA’s Youth Internship Programme, NHA Member Administration Capt (R) Mushtaq Ahmed said this initiative was taken in January this year.

This programme was divided into paid and non-paid internship on first come, first served basis.

He said presently 600 students were doing internship in the NHA. He further said under paid programme, 4,500 applications had been received. Rs20,000 per month would be given to degree holder internees, while Rs10,000 would be given to the diploma holders, he said.

On this occasion, Aqsa Tariq an internee expressing views appreciated the initiative of the NHA.

She desired such programmes in other departments throughout the country. Certificates were also awarded to internees who completed their internship in the NHA.