"The revenue of the National Highways Authority (NHA) has increased by Rs 59.5 million per day and the authority would be made financially self reliant through generating more financial resources." This was stated by Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed, while addressing at a ceremony regarding Youth Internship Programme undertaken by the NHA, here on Friday.

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

The minister said that the present government was committed to providing job opportunities to the youth and utilizing all the available resources in the best possible way for national development.

"As per the prime minister's directive, pragmatic steps are underway to generate employment opportunities in all the ministries," Saeed said, adding that the Youth Internship Programme was launched in line with the Prime Minister's Ehsaas Programme. The minister said that the NHA had successfully maintained its ISO certification due to commendable performance.

Our endeavor, Saeed said, was to make the NHA financially self reliant through generating more financial resources. This will enable the NHA to build roads from their own resources that will ultimately reduce load on the national exchequer, the minister said. Saeed stressed upon the need for building roads leading to tourist resorts. He said, "We have moved from terrorism to tourism." Speaking about projects on Public Private Partnerships basis, Saeed said, Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway project would be undertaken this year. He said that the NHA had undertaken Youth Internship Programme and the consultants and construction firms working with the NHA were 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.

Prime Minister's Ehsaas Programme is a significant programme of the present government under which humane steps like Kamyab Nujawan, Shelter Homes, Langar Khanas, Sehat Insaf Card are being undertaken, which are a step forward towards establishment of a welfare state.

Throwing light on NHA's Youth Internship Programme, NHA's Member Administration Capt Mushtaq Ahmed (Retd) said this initiative was taken in January this year. This programme is divided into paid and non-paid internship on first come, first serve basis. Presently 600 students are doing internship at the NHA. He further said, under paid programme, 4,500 applications have been received.

Rs 20,000 per month will be given to degree holder internees, while Rs 10,000 will be given to the diploma holders. On this occasion, Aqsa Tariq, an internee, appreciated the initiative of the NHA.

She desired initiation of such programmes in other departments throughout the country.

Certificates were also awarded to internees who completed their internship at the NHA. The selected applicants will be deputed on different projects of the NHA and its offices across the country according to their subject and respective areas. They will also receive a certificate from the authority upon successfully completing their internship programme. However, according to relevant officers of the NHA, there is no policy for their direct induction in the authority.