GUJRANWALA, March 28: All skilled women and unemployed youth in the Punjab would be given interest-free loans to start their business, Governor Khalid Maqbool said on Sunday.

He was speaking at the mass marriage ceremony, organized by the Citizens Welfare Association at Niaz House here. As many as 50 couples were joined in marriage on the occasion.

The marriages of 43 Muslims were solemnized by a local nikah khwan. Five Christian couples were wedded by chaplain Emmanuel Yousaf. Satnam Kaur was married to Hakim Gopal Singh by Jathaydar Giani Rovail Singh at Gurdwara Janam Asthan at Nankana Sahib while the marriage of Shimla Devi and Santosh Kumar was solemnized by a priest at a Sheikhupura temple.

The governor said the unemployed people, having no property, would also be given small loans on a group security basis under the scheme of the Khushali Bank. He said payment of profit to the bank would be made out of a Rs5 million revolving fund to be set up by well-off people in every district of the province on a self-help basis.

District Nazim Chaudhry Fiaz Chattha, Citizens Welfare Association president Haji Anwar, vice-presidents Tariq Munir Butt and Rana Shahzad, general secretary Chaudhry Zahid Mumtaz, industrialist Shaikh Naseem, office-bearers of the Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry and relatives of the couples attended the ceremony.

The governor gave away a Rs10,000 cheque to each newly-wed couple on behalf of the Baitul Maal, while Begum Haji Anwar of the association presented a jewellery set to each bride. Kitchen utensils and furniture were also given to them.

A plastic goods manufacturing company announced that it would give a lifetime stipend of Rs2,000 to the couple who would have only two children. A local physician promised that he would provide free medical check-up facilities to all couples.