Daily Times

Sir: The government of Punjab has started a new scheme to create employment opportunities for the population known as “Apna Rozgar”. According to this scheme, minimum Matric pass people within the age group 21-35, will be able to get a vehicle from the government of Punjab on lease, whose monthly installment will be paid by the owner in the next three to four years. It seems that the economic advisers of the PML-N government have not learnt anything from the past. In the year 1992, the same scheme was introduced by Nawaz Sharif, the then prime minister. It was known as the yellow cab scheme. It turned out to be a massive failure. Most of the people didn’t return the instalments to the government. As a result, the deficit in the institutions caused a major economic issue for the government, and it was one of the basic reasons behind the dismissal of the Nawaz Sharif regime in1993. The employment generation through these schemes is nothing but a wastage of money. We must not forget that Pakistan is one of those countries where employment opportunities for graduates and postgraduates are decreasing with every passing day. And it’s for sure that not a single graduate wants to drive a cab for all his life. The prime minister’s youth loan scheme failure is another example for the government. Instead of designing these political-economic adventures, the government must set up new educational or technical institutions from where people can get some kind of business and entrepreneurial training. Employment generation through loans is very similar to running a country with the help of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

HASSAM WAHEED

Lahore