SLAMABAD: The Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives gave development leadership awards to 75 people and 60,000 internships to graduates empowering them with on-job training and work experience through the Prime Minister’s Ba-Ikhtiyar Naujawan Internship Programme (BNIP) at a ceremony held on Tuesday.

The awards were categorised into a high achiever over 40 years of age who have contributed significantly to the socioeconomic development of Pakistan, emerging young leaders of the country under 40 years of age who will lead our way to prosperity and overseas Pakistanis who have dedicated their resources to Pakistan’s development.

BNIP is an initiative launched by the Ministry of Planning aimed at empowering the youth.

The programme’s objective is to offer 60,000 paid internships to young graduates and each internship will last for a duration of six-12 months.

During this period, candidates will receive both off-job and on-job training, which will equip them with marketable skills and practical experience with a monthly stipend ranging from Rs25,000 to Rs40,000.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal highlighted the initiatives taken by the government since it came into power in April 2022, including the skill development programme worth Rs10 billion, which establishes partnerships with skill training providers to address the skills gap and promote modern and ICT-based skills.

The minister said: “With an allocation of Rs75 billion for the Higher Education Commission (HEC), we aim to promote access and quality in higher education.”

He said the government had also established a national fund worth Rs25 billion aimed at addressing the crisis of out-of-school children, said the minister.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary Planning Syed Zafar Ali Shah informed the participants that the awardees hailed from diverse backgrounds from emerging young leaders and high achievers to institutions.

The institutions to receive awards were Rescue 1122, National Highways and Motorway Police, Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMA), China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Secretariat, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company, China Machinery Engineering Corporation (joint venture), Balochistan Residential College Loralai, Balochistan Institute of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Oxford Pakistan Programme, Infrastructure Development Authority of Punjab, Public Private Partnership Authority (P3A), National Highway Authority (NHA), Lahore University of Management Sciences (Lums), Society Leaders Aga Khan Foundation, Layton Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust, Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Rashid Memorial Welfare Organissation and Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2023