Kamyab Jawan Program providing platform to Pakistan's transgender community

Launch as an engine for the generation of businesses and employment opportunities, the Prime Minister Kamyab Jawan Program is proving to be a platform for the nation’s marginalized transgender community looking to pursue their entrepreneurial goals.

Sonia Naz, a trans artist and a fashion designer is one such individual who has started her own business with Rs 1 million under the scheme.

“We as a community are cutoff and our disowned by our own families; most of the times we are forced to leave our own homes or sometimes we choose to leave our families because of gender discrimination,” says Naz in a video shared by Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Youth Affairs Usman Dar.

“Actually I wanted to transform people's mindset that transgender are not born for dancing begging or any other negative activity associated with us. Since fashion designing was my hobby so I selected it as my profession,” said Naz.

Naz informed that she felt very optimistic when heard that the Prime Minister Kamyab Jawan Program does include a third gender option as well. “You must have witnessed in such programs there are only two columns in the form (regarding gender) male and female not by any chance have you seen the third gender (for us).”

Days ago, SAPM on Youth Affairs Usman Dar informed Business Recorder, that the federal government has decided to make major changes in the Kamyab Jawan Programme (KJP), planning to increase the loan facility for youth under the initiative to Rs50 million, which would prove as an engine for jobs creation, poverty alleviation, and economic growth in the country.

The government has also decided to expedite the distribution of allocated Rs100 billion to the youngsters for business and would consider additional allocation of Rs100 billion to be disbursed by 2023, Dar added.

Till date, 10,000 youth have directly been benefited from distribution of Rs8 billion under PMKJP , while a total of about 70,000 are provided employment with such disbursemenT.

Categorizing the 10,000 youth who have directly been benefited from distribution of Rs8 billion, Dar said that 7,100 businesses were initiated in Punjab with Rs6.18 billion, 1,437 businesses in Sindh amounting Rs1.3 billion, 1,192 businesses in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with Rs668 million, 111 in federal capital with Rs211 million, 54 businesses in Balochistan with Rs45 million, 69 in Gilgit-Baltistan with Rs56 million, and 38 businesses in AJK with Rs24 million.