BY:Repor ANI:
Islamabad—Youth empowerment remains central to the country’s long-term development agenda. The Government of Pakistan has allocated a historic Rs 40.50 billion (Rs 40,500 million) for the Prime Minister Youth Program (PMYP) in the federal budget 2026-27. The budget aims to provide modern opportunities in education, employment, skills, and entrepreneurship for the country’s youth. In the federal budget 2026-27, Rs 5.29 billion has been allocated to teach IT and digital skills to youth, under which 120,000 youth will be trained in modern skills.
Under the Prime Minister Youth Skills Program, Rs 7.9 billion has been allocated for the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission. For the first time in Pakistan’s history, Rs 300 million (30 crore) has been released for the construction of modern e-sports arenas and special training centers. Interest-free and low-interest business loans will continue to be provided to young businessmen and farmers. Overseas Employment Loans: Loans of up to Rs 1 million will be provided to youth aspiring for employment abroad for visa and travel expenses. The scope of the “Digital Youth Hub” is being expanded to provide free laptops to meritorious students and to find employment.
The federal government has allocated Rs 40,500 million for the Prime Minister Youth Program and Rs 24,483 million for the expansion of the network of Danish Schools in the budget, aimed at promoting employment, education, skill development, entrepreneurship, and innovation opportunities for youth across the country.
According to details released by the Youth Affairs Wing of the Prime Minister’s Office, the amount is part of one of Pakistan’s youth-focused development initiatives and aims to strengthen the country’s human capital through targeted investments in education and economic empowerment. The largest portion of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program allocation, Rs22,400 million, has been earmarked for the Prime Minister’s Youth Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme to provide affordable financing to young entrepreneurs and farmers who are looking to set up businesses and create jobs.
To enhance the competitiveness of the workforce, the government has allocated Rs9,901 million for the Prime Minister’s Youth Skills Development Program, which aims to equip youth with market-driven skills required for domestic and international employment opportunities.
The budget also includes Rs3,000 million for the Pakistan Education Endowment Fund (PEEF) to help deserving students pursue higher education, while another Rs3,000 million has been allocated for the Prime Minister’s IT Startups and Venture Capital Initiative to promote innovation and technology-based entrepreneurship.
Other allocations under the Prime Minister’s Youth Program include Rs700 million for Youth Development Centers, Rs500 million for the Talent Hunt Youth Sports League, Rs400 million for the National Volunteer Corps, Rs300 million for e-sports, Rs250 million for the National Innovation Award and Rs50 million for Green You.
Along with youth-focused initiatives, the government has allocated Rs24,483 million to expand the network of Danish Schools to improve access to quality education in underprivileged and remote areas.
The allocation includes Rs1,330 million for Danish Schools in Islamabad Capital Territory, while Rs4,271 million has been allocated for new schools in Gilgit-Baltistan, including projects in Sultanabad Jotal, Shigar, Ghanche, Astore and Skardu.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir has made the largest regional allocation of Rs6,270 million for schools in Hari Jhal Bagh, Bhimber, Sharda Neelum and Haveli Kahuta.Rs4,149 million has been allocated for schools in Sibi, Musakhel, Zhob, Kan Mehtarzai, Barkhan and Dera Bugti in Balochistan. Tando Muhammad Khan in Sindh will get Rs1,000 million, while Danish School in Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, will get Rs859 million. An additional Rs6,604 million has been allocated for multi-provincial coverage to ensure wider educational access in backward areas. The allocations reflect the government’s strategy to leverage Pakistan’s demographic dividend by investing simultaneously in education, entrepreneurship, skill development, innovation, sports and youth leadership. The federal government has allocated billions of rupees in the development budget for the fiscal year 2026-27, prioritizing education, skills and youth empowerment to provide quality education, modern skills and better employment opportunities to the country’s youth. Under the Prime Minister’s vision, providing quality education to the deprived and marginalized sections of society is one of the top priorities of the government. For this purpose, the network of Danish Schools is being further expanded, and about Rs. 22 billion has been allocated for Danish Schools in the development program. Danish Schools are providing high-quality education to the talented but underprivileged children of the country, and this project is playing an important role in promoting educational equality. Youth are a valuable asset of Pakistan; equipping them with modern technical and technological skills is indispensable for national development. In this context, Rs 7.9 billion has been allocated for the Prime Minister Youth Skills Development Program under the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NVTEC). Through this program, modern and traditional technical training will be provided to the youth so that they can fully utilize the employment opportunities available in the domestic and international markets. Skilled manpower will not only strengthen the country’s economy but will also be a source of increase in exports and foreign exchange. Investment in the education and skill sectors is actually an investment in human resource development, which provides the foundation for sustainable economic growth and social development. Through such measures, the government wants to provide equal opportunities to every child regardless of his economic and social status. A total of Rs 26.3 billion has been allocated for the school and college education sector, through which projects will be implemented to provide professional training to teachers, increase the rate of enrollment in schools, promote early childhood education, and expand the digital learning system. The creation of an education system compatible with the requirements of the modern era is among the priorities of the government, and for this purpose, provision of modern facilities and trained manpower in educational institutions is being ensured so that students can play an effective role in the future economy. At present, 64 percent of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 30. These millions of young citizens can lead the country on the path of development, but for this they need productive opportunities. In Pakistan, 25 million children of primary education age are out of school. Only about 68 percent of children complete primary education, while the rate of youth pursuing higher education is only 13 percent, which is considered extremely low in the global context. To address the problems and challenges of unemployment, poverty, and mental health, reforms in the education system, technical training opportunities, economic stability, and special arrangements for youth are indispensable. The number of youth in Pakistan is increasing, but employment opportunities for them are shrinking. Economic uncertainty, lack of an education system, and technical skills are making unemployment a serious problem, which needs to be addressed urgently. Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program, Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, reiterated the commitment that the government will continue its efforts to achieve the goals of equality in educational opportunities, technical training of youth, and human development. Under the Prime Minister’s Youth Program, the following key goals have been set for the empowerment of youth and the revival of the national economy. Keeping in mind the needs of the modern era, a huge amount of Rs. 5.29 billion has been allocated in the budget for the Youth Skills Development Program and Rs. 7.9 billion for the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission. The main objective of this fund is to provide more than 120,000 youth across the country with the latest digital courses like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Data Analytics, and Smartphone Technology. These skills will enable the youth to enter the international freelancing markets, earn valuable foreign exchange (dollars) for Pakistan, and achieve online economic independence. The second major pillar of youth empowerment is the provision of business and agricultural loans. Under this scheme, easy loans are being provided to young traders and farmers at interest-free and very low interest rates. Rural Development: Funding is being provided to youth in rural areas to take them out of traditional farming and start modern agricultural technology, greenhouse farming, corporate dairy farming, and livestock businesses. Its aim is to create food security in the country and prevent migration from villages to cities. For the first time in Pakistan’s history, digital gaming and e-sports have been recognized as a regular economy, with Rs 300 million (30 crore) being released for the construction of state-of-the-art arenas and special training centers.The aim of this revolutionary step is to monetize the exceptional gaming talent of Pakistani youth on a global scale and ensure Pakistan’s victory in international championships. For those talented youth of the country who get employment opportunities abroad but cannot afford visa fees, bureaucratic expenses, and travel tickets, the government has allocated soft loans of up to Rs 1 million. The aim of this initiative is to facilitate the youth’s access to decent employment abroad so that they can support the national exchequer through remittances. The scope of provision of free laptops for meritorious students is being expanded to carry out research in the field of higher education and to bridge the digital divide. At the same time, “Digital Youth Hubs” are being established in the backward districts of the country where youth are being provided with free access to high-speed internet, computers and research data. Pakistan’s economic survival and future depend more on our 60%+ youth population than on any traditional sector at present, which, if given the right direction, has the potential to change the destiny of the country. To achieve this most important national goal, the Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program, Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, is currently leading the largest and most revolutionary youth package in the country’s history. The allocation of a historic fund of Rs 40.50 billion in the federal budget for the Prime Minister’s Youth Program and its use for the real economic autonomy of the youth is a clear testament to the strategic vision of Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan. Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan’s stance has always been clear: instead of making the youth stand in long lines for traditional and limited government jobs, they should be made self-employed, digital manufacturers, and successful business leaders. On his special instructions, the Prime Minister’s Youth Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme has been made completely digital, transparent, and easy, under which easy loans of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 75 lakh are being provided to the youth, with the loan up to Rs 5 lakh completely interest-free. The biggest feature of this scheme is that under Rana Mashhood’s policy, 25 percent quota of the total loans has been reserved only for women so that women can also get an equal share in the economic stream. Realizing the importance of the digital revolution and the IT sector, Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan has personally overseen funds of Rs 5.29 billion under the Youth Skills Development Program and Rs 7.9 billion for NewTech (NAVTTC), which aims to teach over 120,000 youth the latest global skills like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud Computing, and Mobile Journalism (MOJO). His vision is fully aligned with the objectives of the ongoing Smart Media Courses of the National Press Club, where journalists and youth are showcasing their skills on a global scale without the need for traditional infrastructure and with the help of just a smartphone, earning valuable foreign exchange for the country. The release of Rs 300 million for the e-sports and gaming industry for the first time in Pakistan’s history and the introduction of Overseas Employment Loans to send skilled individuals internationally demonstrates Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan’s far-sighted vision. Under his leadership, the Merit Laptop Scheme and the establishment of “Digital Youth Hub” in backward districts are a big step towards bridging the educational and technical divide in the country. Under the Prime Minister’s Youth Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme, launched by the Government of Pakistan to make the youth economically independent, the procedure for obtaining a loan of Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 75 lakh has been made completely digital and extremely easy. The main focus of this scheme is to provide direct funding to small farmers, new business startups, and big businessmen expanding their existing businesses according to their financial needs.
If these policies of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program are implemented with the same speed and integrity, then this budget under the patronage of Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan will prove to be the strongest and most constructive milestone in history in making Pakistan’s youth the crown of the global economy and in the sustainable recovery of the country’s economy. Pakistan’s economic survival is now linked to “human resource development” instead of traditional industries. If the youth of the country are provided with modern skills, technology, and financial funds in the right direction, they can become the biggest guarantors of the revival of the country’s economy instead of becoming a burden on heavy government jobs. This economic package of Rs 40.50 billion of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program has proven to be a sustainable and constructive milestone in empowering the youth of Pakistan and taking it to new heights of development.
