PM for maximum financial and professional support to youth

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that maximum financial and professional support to the youth is inevitable for the country’s progress and prosperity.

Addressing the launch of PM’s Freelancer and Venture Capital Initiative, and National Innovation Award Investor Connect on Tuesday, the premier said the network of incubation centres needed to be spread across the country by carving out maximum funding keeping in view the country’s future.

He said considering the talent and importance of IT, Rs2 billion allocated for venture capital was just a “peanut”, though it was scraped by the government despite financial constraints.

The prime minister visited the stalls and was briefed about the innovative projects by the youngsters including drones for agriculture purposes, IT-led medical systems, and the usage of banana peels for different products.

“I really salute all of you,” the prime minister remarked and particularly lauded Sahar Munir, a girl from Naushki for her vision and ideas to promote the IT sector.

He said the network of incubation centres should have been spread countrywide some 10 years ago and recalled the establishment of such a centre at Arfa Karim Tower in 2009 while the Punjab chief minister.

 “This is the untapped talent across Pakistan which we have to own. This is our responsibility to arrange training and provide maximum funding,” he said and called for holding similar innovation award ceremonies in other parts of the country.

He said the funding for the IT endowment fund should be increased by billions annually to capacitate the youngsters and support their research and development.

Prime Minister Shehbaz, who earlier launched the initiatives and gave away awards among the top 10 winners of the second round National Innovation Award, also instructed the formulation of a coordinated mechanism and a policy framework for the IT sector for onward cabinet approval so that the interim government could carry the projects forward without any impediment.

He said that whatsoever party forms the next government, they should facilitate the IT sector which, if supported for the next five years, could bring in billions of dollars to the country.

In his address, Minister for IT and Telecommunications Syed Aminul Haq said his ministry was coordinating and cooperating to execute the prime minister’s vision of Digital Pakistan.

He said the ministry was facilitating around 20 incubation centres in various parts of the country.