Editorial

Round of applause for the Punjab Government

The Punjab government has allocated Rs. 4.5 billion to launch the Yellow Cab Scheme for unemployed youth of the province. The total outlay of the scheme is calculated to be Rs. 10.5 billion, out of which 20 per cent has to be deposited by the applicants as down payment. The Punjab government will pay Rs. 4.5 billion and the Bank of Punjab would provide the remaining amount as a loan at the Karachi interbank loan rate plus 2.5 percent. The Punjab government will bear the interest while the drivers will pay the loan in instalments. This is a great opportunity for the unemployed youth of Pakistan and the Scheme itself is proving to be a very unique and encouraging step taken by the Punjab Government. Living in a country like Pakistan, the masses are generally concerned about the transparency of the process, therefore, the Punjab government has taken a lot of steps to make sure that every candidate gets an equal chance of being selected. One of the pre requisites of the Scheme is that the candidates should not have a criminal record or be a loan defaulter, in order to ensure the transparency. The Scheme will also ensure an equal opportunity for both the male and female to participate. The balloting process/Lucky Draw itself will be a transparent process after which candidates will be selected for the distribution of 20,000 vehicles. Above all, to make the scheme foolproof the particulars (age, domiciles, driving licences, no defaulter document) would be verified from the concerned authorities. The lucky winners who are bank defaulters, have bogus driving licences, fake domiciles and age certifications would not be entitled to receive the benefits from the Yellow Cab Scheme and their nominations would be cancelled out. We hope that the Scheme becomes a landmark and gives maximum employment opportunities to both males and females along with bringing more public transport facilities to the general public.