CM Orders Girls' Hostel at Sahiwal University, Nurses' Scholarships Restored

LAHORE, October 16: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has directed the authorities concerned to construct a girls’ hostel at the University of Sahiwal and restore scholarships for nurses, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General Public Relations, Government of the Punjab.

Addressing a ceremony for the distribution of laptops and Honhaar Scholarship cheques at the University of Sahiwal, the chief minister congratulated the students and their parents and paid special tribute to the teachers of the recipients.

“I salute the parents who have given the nation a talented generation to be proud of,” she said, adding that the day was an occasion to pay tribute to parents whose sacrifices had enabled their children to reach this stage.

She said that for the first time, nurses and students of religious seminaries had also been included in the scholarship programme.

The chief minister said facilities including washrooms, drinking water and artificial intelligence tools were being developed in educational institutions across Punjab, adding that the government was empowering children through AI tools.

She said 500,000 young people had been trained under the skills development programme over two years, and skilled workers travelling abroad were being provided assistance, including tickets, through the Parwaaz Card.

She praised Education Minister Rana Sikandar for initiatives including the development of a new syllabus, and said she had personally interviewed candidates in batches of 10 before appointing vice-chancellors on merit at every university in Punjab. “I do not accept recommendations, even if they come from my own home,” she said.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif said urban beautification was not the exclusive right of Lahore, adding that Sahiwal, Okara and Pakpattan deserved the same attention. She said Punjab had received the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award for its low-cost housing initiative, described as the world’s fastest such scheme, and that 300,000 acres of land were being provided to landless people for cultivation.

She said patients were receiving medicines at their doorsteps for periods of up to two months, and the government was reaching out to people in need instead of requiring them to visit government offices. Workers were being provided treatment at their workplaces so they would not lose their daily wages.

Under the Maryam Ki Dastak programme, she said, services such as birth certificates were being provided at people’s doorsteps, three crore people had benefited from the Clinic on Wheels initiative, and Water and Sanitation Agencies (WASAs) and Parks and Horticulture Authorities (PHAs) had been established in every district.

She said the government had issued one million Kisan Cards and provided 30,000 tractors to farmers, while Livestock Cards were being introduced for livestock owners. Students from other provinces had also been allocated a quota under the laptop scheme.

The chief minister said children were being provided quality education and facilities comparable to those at Aitchison College through the Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence initiative.

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Expressing deep sorrow over the deaths of innocent children after a school roof collapsed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, she said the tragedy had caused her profound grief.

6,208 Sahiwal students receive laptops, scholarships

In a separate handout, the DGPR said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif arrived in Sahiwal via motorway with “a mission of knowledge and confidence” to meet students, as laptops and Honhaar Scholarships were distributed among 6,208 students of Sahiwal. It was the eighth ceremony for laptop distribution under the Laptop Scheme and Honhaar Scholarships, held at the University of Sahiwal.

Students accorded the chief minister an enthusiastic welcome. She visited the seating area to inquire after ministers and assembly members, and expressed delight at Quranic calligraphy specimens presented by special students of the Government Special School Sahiwal. A police guard of honour was presented to students receiving laptops and Honhaar Scholarships.

Faiz-ul-Ali and Qurat-ul-Ain shared their experiences of benefiting from the schemes, while the chief minister distributed laptops and Honhaar Scholarship cheques among the students.

Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat briefed participants on the schemes, saying the University of Sahiwal’s grant had been increased from Rs40 million to Rs400 million. He said enrolment at the University of Sahiwal had risen from 5,000 to 6,500, while enrolment at the University of Okara had increased from 7,000 to 17,000.

A total of 4,746 students of Sahiwal Division received laptops, including 2,570 students of public universities, 171 of medical colleges, 161 of nursing colleges, 544 of private and federal universities and 1,305 college students.

Scholarships worth Rs42 million were awarded to 1,462 students of Sahiwal Division, including 807 students of public universities, 55 of medical colleges and 547 of public colleges.

Students in other divisions of Punjab have already received 38,182 laptops, the handout said. On the chief minister’s instructions, Honhaar Scholarships were also awarded to 517 students from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 479 from Gilgit-Baltistan, 938 from Balochistan and 3,135 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Scholarship payments have been completed for a total of 108,488 students, and the fourth phase of the programme will be launched soon.

CM’s World Food Day message

In her message on World Food Day, the chief minister saluted those who work for others’ food and paid tribute to farmers, according to another DGPR handout.

She said the purpose of World Food Day was to renew the resolve for joint efforts toward food security, noting that food security efforts at every level worldwide faced challenges including climate change, and that unusual environmental changes were affecting the supply of adequate food.