ISLAMABAD (APP): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday approved the inclusion of a ‘revolutionary programme’ in the upcoming budget 2023-24 for the uplift of youth, women and farmers.
As per the prime minister’s directives, the funds have been allocated in the upcoming budget for projects on the welfare of youth and women as well as for agriculture tube-wells.
According to a PM Office statement, in the next fiscal year, the youth would be provided interest-free loans and endowment fund would be established for education and sports.
The prime minister approved the establishment of Pakistan Endowment Fund for Education on the pattern of Punjab Endowment Fund. Under the Fund, the intelligent but poor students from across the country, would be given educational scholarships. The funds have been allocated Prime Minister Youth Programme to extend small loans to the youth.
The government has also specified funds to impart skill training to the youth, including in information technology. The upcoming budget would also have funds for the distribution of 100,000 laptops among youth, besides extending financial support to the IT startups.
The government has made budgetary allocations for the promotion of sports activities among youth and to encourage their participation.
The upcoming budget will also feature the funds allocations for a programme to achieve the economic empowerment of women.
The prime minister also approved a programme for the solarisation of agriculture tube-wells which would be implemented in the second phase of PM’s Kissan Package.
TAPI project to strengthen energy security of Pakistan, region: PM: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that being a critical component of his government’s vision, the TAPI gas pipeline project would ensure energy security, economic growth and prosperity in Pakistan as well as the entire region.
The prime minister, in a meeting with a high ranking delegation from Turkmenistan, said the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas project was manifestation of the strategic cooperation between Pakistan and Turkmenistan in the energy sector.
The delegation was headed by State Minister and Head of TurkmenGaz Maksat Babayev, a PM Office press release said. Welcoming the delegation, the prime minister said Pakistan and Turkmenistan enjoyed brotherly relations underpinned by common history, culture and religion. He said the leadership on both sides had keen desire to further promote economic and commercial relations. He underscored that Pakistan could be a gateway for quick access to Turkmenistan’s rich energy reserves. The prime minister renewed the commitment for early implementation of the project and hoped that the TAPI gas pipeline would be completed at the earliest by optimizing all available resources by all relevant parties.
In order to expedite work on various components of the project, the prime minister nominated Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr Jehanzeb Khan to work as the focal person from the Pakistan side as the head of the Senior Coordination Committee. The visiting Turkmenistan delegation also included Deputy Minister of Energy Annageldi Saparov, CEO and Chairman of BOD, TPCL, Muhammetmyrat Amanov as well as the Turkmen Ambassador to Pakistan, Atadjan Movlamov.
Later, the prime minister witnessed the signing of “TAPI Gas Pipeline Joint Implementation Plan (JIP)” by Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musaddiq Malik and Maksat Babayev, State Minister and Head of TurkmenGaz, on behalf their respective governments.
The JIP is aimed at accelerating the work on the TAPI Gas Pipeline project.
The TAPI project aims at transporting natural gas from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India through an 1814 kilometer pipeline with a capacity to transport 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually.
Once operational, the TAPI project will transform the regional energy landscape, contributing to economic prosperity.
PM approves ‘revolutionary program’ for uplift of youth, farmers, women in budget
