Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader and Punjab's former Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said the PML-N believes that it is our youth which, if given proper education and skills, can change the destiny of the nation.
Addressing the activists of the PML-N Youth Wing in Lahore on Wednesday, he said, "If voted to power, the PML-N would convert Punjab Education Endowment Fund into Pakistan Endowment Fund while education scholarships and laptops would also be given to talented students across the country."
It may be noted that the PML-N mnifesto envisages implementation of new National Youth Policy with initiation of youth training and skill development programme to create one million positions for apprenticeship in trade and industry, in collaboration with the private sector to ensure at least one job for every low income family apart from extending self-employment loans to those who complete training / apprenticeship, especially in the information technology and other knowledge-based sectors.
In order to involve youth in governance at the local level, special seats will be reserved for them in the unioun councils and district councils to prepare them for a bigger role in National and Provincial Assemblies. Shahbaz Sharif told the PML-N youth delegation that the party is fully conscious of the importance of sporting activities play in improving the health and mindset of its people and the decline in sports and exercise in recent years. Under a phased programme, modern gymnasia will be constructed at the district and tehsil levels, he said.
Shahbaz further said that the people of Punjab would ensure resumption of development works in the province by again voting the PML-N to power on May 11. "The PPP, PTI and PML-Q have invited the criticism of people by opposing development schemes such as Metro Bus Service (MBS), laptop distribution scheme, Ujala programme and Green Tractor Scheme," he said.
He said that after coming to power, the PML-N government would also launch MBS projects in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad. He added that Punjab was the only province which did not get any monetary assistance from the Centre other than budgetary allocations. The PML-N leader said that aim of the socio-economic policies of the PML-N to expand employment opportunities in order to reduce poverty and at the same time ensure a fuller utilisation of the country's human resources for productive purposes.