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LOWER DIR, Apr 28 (APP): Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP), Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, announced on Monday that the government is committed to financially empowering the country’s youth through a series of transformative initiatives under PMYP.
Addressing a large public gathering in Timergara, he emphasized that the program is designed to unlock the full potential of young Pakistanis and offer them equitable opportunities for growth and development.
Rana Mashhood introduced a pioneering education and skill development model, which he described as a benchmark initiative for Pakistan.
The model seeks to equip youth with diverse career skills ranging from vocational trades—such as driving, carpentry, and electrical work—to professional fields like nursing, accountancy, engineering, IT, and sports.
During his speech, he also unveiled the launch of the PM Sports Talent Hunt’s second phase, announcing its expansion into athletics, hockey, boxing, and other sporting disciplines. He assured full government support for selected athletes, including access to international-level training and facilities.
Highlighting the National Adolescent and Youth Policy, Rana Mashhood detailed a number of ongoing initiatives under PMYP.
These include the Laptop Scheme, the Green Youth Movement, Innovation Awards, and other programs aimed at holistic youth development. These efforts, he said, focus on four key pillars—Education, Engagement, Employment, and Environment, also known as the “4Es” of the PMYP.
He underlined the significance of engagement, which offers young people a chance to thrive in science, technology, innovation, arts, culture, and sports.
He proudly noted that, for the first time, madrassa students are also being included in mainstream development efforts to foster unity and prevent social and cultural divides.
Rana Mashhood also introduced the Digital Youth Hub (DYH), a centralized digital platform that leverages artificial intelligence to connect youth with tailored opportunities in education, employment, and other development areas.
DYH, he said, functions as a “one-stop shop” to streamline access to resources and ensure personalized growth pathways for users based on their profiles.
Reflecting on his previous role as Punjab’s Education Minister under then-Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Rana Mashhood highlighted the success of the Punjab Education Endowment Fund (PEEF), which provided over 450,000 merit-based scholarships to underprivileged students.
He praised the extension of this initiative to the national level through the newly established Pakistan Education Endowment Fund, continuing the mission to support deserving students across the country.