By Muskan Naveed ISLAMABAD, Nov 11 (INP-WealthPK): It is heartening that the incumbent government has taken a number of initiatives aimed at developing human resources to contribute towards a sustainable economic growth. Human development is mainly focused on providing equal opportunities for building capabilities and developing entrepreneurial skills to enable the people, especially youth, to launch their business ventures. It plays a vital role in the growth of an economy as human resource is the main cog in the economic machine. Conversely, poverty, lack of education, health or economic opportunities, corruption and poor governance are some of the roadblocks on the road towards human development. Pakistan is the fifth country with a youth population of over 60%, which makes it imperative for the government to tap this segment through pro-youth initiatives. The current government – to fulfil its dream to achieve a new Pakistan – has launched several initiatives which are bridging opportunity gaps between various economic classes, especially the young population. The incumbent government has launched a youth entrepreneurship programme under its flagship Kamyab Pakistan initiative in order to provide funding facilities to those who are otherwise deprived of such opportunities. The initiative is aimed at providing easy access to loans with less markup and decreased complexities to people aged between 21 and 45 years. The loans are available for new startups as well as existing ones for expansion purposes. The Tier 1 loan starts from Rs100,000 and goes up to Rs25 million in Tier 3. According to Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Youth Affairs Usman Dar, Rs22 billion have been disbursed in the last two years through the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (YES). He says the government is paying special focus to the development of the youth and will disburse Rs100 billion for that purpose. The government has also started a Kamyab Kisan initiative to provide interest-free loans to farmers. There is another praiseworthy programme known as Sasta Ghar Scheme, which is designed to provide affordable housing to the citizens who cannot afford to have a house on their own. Furthermore, skill-based scholarship schemes and Sehat Insaf Cards are the schemes this government has come up with during its about three years in power. The Ministry of Information Technology in collaboration with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) has initiated a national expansion plan for the largest network of technology incubation centres across Pakistan. The programme aims to help entrepreneurs transform their business ideas into viable startups through workshops, trainings, mentorships etc. The government is not only bridging the gaps between the availability of opportunities but is also targeting poverty through its Ehsaas Kafalat programme to ensure a level-playing field for the people when it comes to benefiting from economic opportunities. The Ehsaas Kafalat programme is focused primarily on the financial independence and digital inclusion of 7 million women in the country. Ehsaas Rashan Portal, Prime Minister’s Covid-19 Fund Portal and Ehsaas Emergency Cash Transfer programmes are set to give impetus to an economy reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic. These initiatives are steps in the right direction, which will surely reverse the recent downtrend in the human development index. Moreover, the positive economic outlook for the upcoming year will further boost the human development of the country.