"Economic prosperity requires planned policies"
December 20th, 2013
A government plan to encourage youth entrepreneurship will fail unless the energy crisis is solved, writes Naseema Perveen, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Islamabad in Pakistan, who says policy makers and politicians need to coordinate their efforts.
I want to put forward a few of my thoughts about the youth loan scheme just launched by Pakistan’s Prime Minister.
According to the best of my understanding, if any country wants its youth to progress there must be adequate provision of publicly provided goods. They must be given opportunity; money is merely a medium of transaction.
Due to the inefficiency of the concerned authorities, Pakistan is facing a severe crisis in the energy sector. Various power projects are pending for decades. As a consequence, in summers the country faces 12 to 16 hours of power outage in areas where even the average energy consumption is at a minimum level.
In the case of Pakistan politics and economics are two separate fields; politicians do whatever they want to do, irrespective of whether the policy implementation is appropriate or not. However for the economic prosperity of country you have to consider all aspects and a combined effort is required. Unfortunately in Pakistan there is a huge gap between politics and economics.
The Prime Minister aims to provide loans to the youth so that they will earn through entrepreneurship and so they can launch small scale industries. To be realistic, may I ask Mr. Prime Minister – if I don’t get enough power security to operate my laptop how I can run a small scale industry? It has been observed across the country that many of the industries including both small and large have been shut down due to power outages, and the resulting unemployment has increased the existing rate.
The sustainability aspect of the project is another issue. I am doubtful whether it is going to be sustained provided the current economic situation of Pakistan. We need to expect the same result as that of the PM laptop scheme, where laptops were sold back to the market, probably due to the power outage or may be youth did not take interest. Whatever was the reason, this project did not earn appreciable results because the Prime Minister wanted technological advancement without power security.
Even a lay person can understand that giving out money without an adequate entrepreneurial environment is not a decision worth appreciation. Given the current situation, I am not going to apply for the loan, because for the proper utilization of the loan we need some pre-requisites which our country lacks. I would suggest Mr. Prime Minister to think over the decision again.
In a nutshell, this project needs a proper review by policy makers and politicians together. The decision must be finalized after reviewing its sustainability and consequences in the long run. There is much more to talk about regarding the current situation, but it is better saved until next time, else you would get tired!
photo credit: wetlandsofpakistan via photopin cc
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About me:
I am a blogger, writer, and a social person. I am a responsible, trust worthy and friendly person. My aim of writing is to address the social issues, many of which remain unnoticed.
Currently I am a student of Economics. I aspire to make my career in social development as a social worker. I have passion to work with people from all walks of life and I believe social development is only possible through common effort and consultation.
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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response?
To learn more about becoming a Commonwealth Correspondent please visit:
http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/submit-articles/commonwealthcorrespondents/
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