ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said equipping the youth with education, training and experience to meet future needs is the top priority of the government.
The minister made these remarks while administering the oath to the 5th batch of 40 Young Development Fellows (YDFs), who formally joined the Planning Commission on Tuesday. The oath-taking ceremony was attended by scholars, lawyers, civil society activists, and students.
The minister said political stability and continuity of policies are vital for the development of the country. But, unfortunately this could not happen in Pakistan, he said. He urged the youth to have the self-belief to put the country on the path of peace, development, and economic prosperity.
He reiterated that the government is committed to providing opportunities to the youth and YDFs program is one initiative, which was restarted aimed to empower them to learn public policy matters through this fellowship.
He said that the basic objective of this initiative is to empower the youth by integrating them in the ministry so they could learn and excel in their respective lives.
The minister, while highlighting the message of Allama Iqbal, stressed the YDFs, who were called “Iqbal ke Shaheen”, adopt the philosophy of the great poet. The minister further said that the initiative was started to empower the youth so they could learn about the public sector closely.
He said the previous government had stopped this project as a result youth of the country faced a problem but now this program has been revived again to facilitate them. After completing the one-year internship program, the young fellows will be able to understand the affairs of the government and their fresh ideas will help the ministry as well, said the minister, while urging the students to play a constructive role in society which has been polarised in recent years.
Shehzad Roy, a renowned singer, appreciated the step taken by the Planning Commission. “It’s a great step for youth to get working exposure in the ministry,” he added. He also suggested that Iqbal's poetry should be taught to the students in their native language so they could learn real philosophy.
The panellists highlighted not only the relevance of Iqbal in contemporary times but also emphasized how his message is still inspiring the youth of the country.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022