PESHAWAR: Senior Minister Muhammad Atif Khan said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Impact Challenge programme was playing a pivotal role in provision of employment and business opportunities to the talented youth of the province.
Speaking at a ceremony held in connection with handing over cheques of second installments to youth at Nishtar Hall here, the senior minister said the KP Impact Challenge programme was first of its kind government-led initiative for economic and social impact competition to promote youth entrepreneurship, innovation, and to provide economic opportunities to talented youth.
“The KP Impact Challenge programme is a unique project for the educated unemployed youth. The day is not far to end unemployment from the province through this initiative,” Atif Khan, who also has the portfolio of Sports, Tourism, Archaeology, Culture, Museums and Youth Affairs, told the gathering.
He said that the KP government was trying hard to stand the youth on their feet by providing employment and launching businesses for them under the KP Impact Challenge programme.
The provincial government and the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) have jointly launched a Rs500 million Impact Challenge programme to promote youth entrepreneurship, employment and to harness the skills of largely rural youth by involving them in the economic mainstream.
These young individuals have been groomed, coached and developed to turn their ideas into viable and sustainable businesses.
The KP government had allocated Rs500 million for this purpose. The LUMS is providing technical support to the selected youth whose ideas were approved through a rigorous selection process.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf previous government had launched the programme and it had given Rs200,000 to Rs500,000 to 43 entrepreneurs.
The senior minister gave away a cheque for Rs1.4 million each to 38 entrepreneurs out of 43 as they are successfully running their businesses.
Atif Khan said that it was the vision of PTI government to launch various projects for the youth to enable them to stand them on their feet.
The initiative has been a success and has proved to be a huge step forward towards creating economic avenues and entrepreneurship opportunities for the youth of KP and is a landmark collaboration between LUMS and the KP government
