USAID to grant Rs250m to 1,000 students of southern Punjab: Tevta chief

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Technical Educational and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) and USAID will provide grant up to Rs 250 million to 1,000 young pass outs of agriculture and livestock sector belonging to South Punjab.

It was decided in a meeting between Chairman TEVTA Irfan Qaiser Sheikh and delegation of USAID held at TEVTA Secretariat. USAID delegation was comprised of Muhammad Hanif, Imran Chaudhry and Asad Zahoor.

While talking to delegation Chairman TEVTA Irfan Qaiser said that TEVTA along with USAID will provide grant to those TEVTA pass outs who got training in agriculture and livestock sector.

The amount of grant will be Rs 250 million out of which Rs 100 million will be awarded by USAID and remaining amount will be managed by TEVTA in collaboration with different NGOs including Akhuwat Foundation.

He said that TEVTA has already been working with Akhuwat Foundation in a similar manner as loan of Rs 1000 million is being given to more than 18,000 students. Therefore working in a similar model by adding USAID will be a new experience, he added.

He said there is huge potential in livestock and agriculture sector in Pakistan as both departments have huge share in GDP and economy of country. Therefore if we will support our youth in these sectors then we can not only increase their share in the GDP and economy but we will be also able to modernize both these sector, he said.

Muhammad Hanif of USAID was of the view that there is huge livestock and agriculture sector in Southern Punjab. Especially the livestock sector which is fulfilling the needs of not Punjab but for whole Pakistan, therefore, this project will bring positive change in these sectors and lives of people, he said.