CM announces 100,000 laptops, 50,000 additional Honahaar scholarships

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Thursday announced the distribution of 100,000 laptops to students and 50,000 additional Honhaar Scholarships to support higher education.

She also announced the allocation of Rs40 billion for the construction and renovation of bathrooms, classrooms and furniture in government schools across Punjab.

The chief minister further announced the establishment of computer, information technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and STEAM laboratories in government schools throughout the province.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of 10 Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence in the Sahiwal Division at Arifwala, the chief minister received an enthusiastic welcome from students, who greeted her as their “superhero.” She asked the children to pledge their love and commitment to Pakistan.

Maryam Nawaz said she became emotional while visiting the Nawaz Sharif School of Eminence, adding that even many expensive private schools did not possess such impressive infrastructure. She said the institutions had qualified principals and teachers, AI laboratories and fully air-conditioned classrooms.

She said it had always pained her to see talented students studying under poor conditions and stressed that no child’s potential should be limited by a lack of resources.

The chief minister said old traditions were being broken and girls across Punjab were progressing with confidence. “Many gifted children fail to realise their dreams due to financial constraints. I want every child in Punjab to study without worrying about resources because your government will provide them,” she said.

She reiterated the government’s commitment to establishing 300 Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence across Punjab, saying that deserving students would now have access to world-class educational facilities regardless of their financial background.

Maryam Nawaz said students unable to afford higher education would benefit from the Honahaar Scholarship Programme, while graduates would be provided business loans to help them become financially independent.

She said the Punjab government was imparting skill development training to 500,000 students and would provide Rs300,000 through the Parwaaz Card to cover travel expenses for skilled youth seeking employment in Gulf countries. She added that employment arrangements had also been made for trained workers abroad.

“We are providing these opportunities so that every son and daughter of Pakistan can succeed,” she said, adding that the government would never leave Punjab’s youth alone and would continue supporting them.

The chief minister said government schools had deteriorated due to the negligence of previous administrations but claimed that the current government had allocated the highest education budget in the country’s 77-year history.

“It is the state’s responsibility to provide children with education and employment opportunities,” she remarked.

Maryam Nawaz said students should develop political awareness to distinguish between good and bad leadership. She noted that Punjab had 49,000 government schools, of which 10,000 had already been upgraded, while work on 300 Schools of Eminence was under way.

She said these model schools were being established not only in major cities but also in smaller districts such as Arifwala, Dina and Bhakkar to ensure equal educational opportunities across the province.

The chief minister said there was no distinction between South Punjab, North Punjab and Lahore, adding that every citizen of Punjab was equally her responsibility.

She said the government would provide laptops and iPads to deserving students who could not afford them and announced that 100,000 electric bikes would also be distributed among students. She said male students would pay a Rs15,000 down payment, while female students would receive the bikes without any down payment.

Referring to the recent Kahna tragedy, Maryam Nawaz appealed to parents to ensure the safety of their children and avoid taking them to unsafe locations. She said she had been unable to sleep for three days after the incident and expressed deep concern over accidents involving children falling into drains and open manholes. She urged the public to help protect manhole covers from theft, saying public cooperation was essential for preventing such incidents.

The chief minister said every child at the Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence was receiving 100 per cent free education, irrespective of economic background. She said education was the greatest source of equality and opened the doors to opportunity. She noted that around 5,000 students competed for every 1,000 admissions to the Schools of Eminence, adding that children of labourers and senior government officers would study together.

She said artificial intelligence had been introduced from the early grades in government schools to prepare students for future technological challenges. She added that Punjab had become the first province where the education minister’s own child studied in a government school, describing it as a step towards ending class-based discrimination.

Maryam Nawaz said visits to schools in South Punjab had revealed that many children attended classes without breakfast and often fainted due to hunger. She said the government’s school nutrition programme, under which milk packs and biscuits were being provided to 1.2 million children, had significantly increased enrollment, with an additional 2.5 million students joining schools.

Highlighting improvements in public transport, she said modern green electric buses equipped with Wi-Fi and air conditioning were now operating even in areas where such facilities had once seemed impossible. She added that travel on green buses was free for students, women and senior citizens, while special measures had been taken to ensure women’s safety.

The chief minister said 1,100 electric buses had already arrived in Punjab and another 1,500 would be added, with 300 buses scheduled for deployment this year.

She said a modern drainage system was being developed across Punjab, including underground water storage tanks for rainwater management. WASA had been equipped with new machinery and additional staff to improve urban services throughout the province.

Referring to the “Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar” programme, Maryam Nawaz said 200,000 houses had been initiated, 180,000 of which had already been completed, with 600 to 700 houses being completed every day. She said more than 2,000 landless families had received allotment letters, while interest-free loans were also being provided for home construction. Under the newly launched “Apni Chhat, Mehfooz Chhat” scheme, families could obtain loans of up to Rs500,000 for roof repairs and up to Rs1 million for constructing additional rooms.

She said landless farmers had been granted government land for cultivation under long-term arrangements, while interest-free agricultural loans were also being extended under the “Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar” programme.

The chief minister said over 40,000 kilometres of roads had been constructed or rehabilitated across Punjab. She announced that Metro Bus services would be launched in Gujranwala and Faisalabad, while Pakistan’s first government-run cancer hospital was under construction in Lahore.

She urged the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to reject violence and support those committed to public service, saying development similar to Punjab should be promoted across the region.

Maryam Nawaz said development projects worth billions of rupees were under way throughout Punjab, stressing that remote districts such as Layyah, Bhakkar and Rajanpur had an equal right to development resources.

She urged citizens to cooperate in maintaining cleanliness and protecting public infrastructure. She said the government had launched 1,000 Clinic-on-Wheels units, while medicines were being delivered to the doorsteps of more than six million patients. Insulin was also being delivered to Type-1 diabetes patients at home, and an air ambulance service had been introduced for emergency transfers.

The chief minister said Punjab was the only province providing organized healthcare services for both humans and livestock, with mobile veterinary units reaching farmers in remote areas. She also praised Senior Minister Mariyum Aurangzeb for efforts to reduce smog and said smog guns, drinking water and heatwave relief measures were being deployed across the province.

She said cardiac catheterisation laboratories had been established in 20 cities, while advanced equipment was being installed at the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology. She added that every district headquarters hospital was providing expensive anti-stroke injections free of charge.

Maryam Nawaz said more than one million farmers had benefited from the Kisan Card, receiving nearly Rs375 billion in financial assistance. She said 30,000 tractors had been distributed over the past two years and that the government planned to provide another 50,000 tractors during the next three years. Modern agricultural machinery worth Rs 70 billion was also being supplied to farmers to promote mechanisation.

She added that financial assistance was also being extended through the Rehmat Card, Himmat Card and minority welfare programmes. Clean drinking water projects had been established in water-scarce areas, while government water tankers were delivering safe drinking water directly to people’s homes.

The chief minister said citizens facing emergencies could seek assistance through the “Maryam Ki Dastak” application, assuring that help would reach them within three days.

Concluding her address, Maryam Nawaz said that despite numerous public welfare initiatives, she believed much more remained to be done. She expressed her determination to serve every citizen of Punjab and urged children never to support those who spread violence or attack law enforcement personnel.

“May Allah protect Pakistan,” she concluded. Ameen.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026