ISLAMABAD: The government is committed to empowering women by imparting vocational training to them through the Youth Skill Development Scheme, said Maryam Nawaz, the Chairperson of Prime Minister’s Youth Programme.

The government has allocated Rs800 million so that women could get technical training in cooking, baking and confectionary, catering and decoration, Montessori and beautician courses, interior decoration, children’s day-care centre and boutique.

Training will be free of cost and at the same time they will receive a monthly stipend of Rs3,000 to Rs5,000 for six months, she said during a meeting with the US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Cathy Russell, here on Friday.

The chairperson informed the US envoy about the government initiative to create job opportunities for the youth through promotion of small-and-medium enterprises, adding the prime minister’s small business loan scheme is a milestone in this regard.

“Females constitute almost 52pc of the population with 60 seats reserved for them in the National Assembly,” she said, adding they comprised 25pc of the workforce, especially in rural areas. Ms Russell assured her country’s support to the government’s efforts to reviving the economy.

Later, Ms Nawaz chaired a meeting of Hand Holding Programme attended by a young parliamentarian, secretary food security and research, secretary industry and secretary information.

She asked the authorities concerned to devise a fool-proof framework for the programme and expand its operations to benefit people seeking business loans.

“We will not only give cheques but also assist people in running their businesses,” she said.—APP