Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Shiza Fatima Khawaja presided over an online meeting to review progress on sports development schemes and youth projects on Friday.
The representative from all provinces, PILDAT and UNFPA participated in the online meeting. Deputy Secretary Planning/Admin Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab Imtiaz Ahmed and Director Admin Syed Umair Hassan represented Punjab in the high-profile meeting.
Deputy Secretary Planning/Admin Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab Imtiaz Ahmed and Director Admin Syed Umair Hassan briefed the chair about the Punjab’s sports development projects and different sports events organised under the banner Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Shiza Fatima Khawaja appreciated the effective measures taken by Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab for the promotion of sports across the province.
Deputy Secretary Planning/Admin Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab Imtiaz Ahmed said that Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab has approved stipends for athletes and grant in aid for Sports Associations. “Pride of Punjab Sports Awards have also been initiated to acknowledge the meritorious services of sports icons of the country”.
He said that first Youth Hostel (180 capacity) is ready and functional at Nishtar Park Sports Complex. “Punjab Youth Ambassador Programme has also been initiated and initially world snooker champion Ahsan Ramzan, tennis star Aisamul Haq, athlete Sahib-e-Asra and young record-breaking mountaineer Shehroz Kashif have been nominated Youth Ambassadors of Punjab”.
Briefing the chair, Director Admin Syed Umair Hassan said besides other effective sports promotion measures, Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab also organized a flood relief camp at Nishtar Park Sports Complex for the help of flood victims. “We organised several events such as E-Rozgaar Meetup, E-Sports Soobai Series, Punjab Talent Hunt Programme, E-Learning Centres in recent past”.
He further informed the chair that Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab has built five international standard tennis courts and Punjab’s first tennis academy adjacent to State of the Art Tennis Stadium at Nishtar Park Sports
Complex. “Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab is organizing sports events of different games regularly to provide maximum playing opportunities to talented male and female players of the province,” he added.