Prime Minister’s Youth Programme is a special initiative launched by Pakistani government in 2013. The Youth Programme comprises the several schemes including Prime Minister’s Interest Free Loan Scheme, Prime Minister’s Youth Business Loans, Prime Minister’s Youth Training Scheme, Prime Minister’s Youth Skills Development Scheme, Prime Minister’s Scheme for Provision of Laptops and Prime Minister’s Scheme for Reimbursement of Fee of Students from the Less Developed Areas. It was headed by Maryam Nawaz Sharif.[1] The total worth of PKR 20 billion spread over 5 years.[2][3]
On May 14, the government approved 3.5 billion for interest-free loans up to Rs 50,000 would be provided to 1 million people across country. Half of the beneficiaries will be women, while disbursement of loans will start in third week of June this year. The loans will be disbursed through Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and each federating unit will get its share as per the NFC Award, with primary focus on rural areas. Proper loan centres and business support centres will be set up across country to facilitate the beneficiaries.[4][5][6] The Prime Minister's Programme for the Provision of Laptops to Talented Students (Prime Minister's Laptop Scheme was launched by May 23, 2014.[7][8][9] The Prime Minister Laptop Scheme and other schemes have been abolished by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government as of 2018[10].
