Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing better opportunities for young people in education, skills development, employment and entrepreneurship.

Chairing a meeting to review progress on projects under the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, the premier said efforts were being accelerated to equip youth with world-class education and training in information technology and other modern sectors.

He directed the Higher Education Commission and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication to prepare a comprehensive plan for aligning university IT education with international standards and global market needs.

The prime minister said the youth programme should place special emphasis on technical and vocational training to improve employment opportunities for Pakistanis both at home and abroad.

He also instructed authorities to consolidate various easy loan schemes for young entrepreneurs under a single platform to simplify access to financing.

PM Shehbaz further directed the programme to work with the Ministry of Industries and Production on providing electric bikes to youth from low and middle-income families.

The prime minister praised Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan and his team for effectively implementing multiple initiatives.

Officials informed the meeting that more than 800,000 young people and 2,000 institutions had been registered under the Digital Youth Hub, which was receiving over 4,800 applications daily.

The meeting was told that under the Prime Minister’s Youth Business and Agri Loans Scheme, more than 287,000 young people had received Rs122.5 billion in concessional loans, creating over 900,000 jobs.

Participants were also informed that Pakistan’s first Youth and Adolescent Policy and Youth Employment Policy had been launched, while around 400,000 youth took part in the Sports and Talent Hunt Programme this year.

The meeting also reviewed proposals related to mixed martial arts, FIFA Arena, e-sports and other youth-focused projects.