Pakistan: Govt Increases Youth Business Loan Limit
The government has raised the personal loan limit under the Prime Minister’s Youth Business and Agriculture Loan schemes from Rs. 7.5 million to Rs. 25 million, according to the Prime Minister’s office release this week.
The minimum age to apply has also been cut from 21 to 18 years.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the changes while chairing a review meeting on the schemes. He also directed that 30 percent of all loans be reserved for women.
Loans Offered on Easy Installments
Officials told the meeting that the higher loans will be offered on easy installments. A total of Rs. 292 billion has been allocated for the schemes this year.
The prime minister directed the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) to help young people with business start-ups, mentoring, advice and technical support. He also ordered a nationwide awareness campaign so more young people can benefit.
Loans Given Since 2023
According to the briefing, 581,341 young people have received loans since January 2023, worth Rs. 313.9 billion. That is ten times more than in the previous ten years. Around 266,700 young people are expected to receive Rs. 292 billion in 2026-27.
The prime minister praised Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and his team for arranging financing for young entrepreneurs and farmers. He said young people are a valuable asset for Pakistan and the government is committed to giving them decent and productive jobs.
The meeting was also attended by Aurangzeb, Special Assistant on Youth Affairs Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, and Special Assistant on Political Affairs Talha Burki.
What It Means
The higher ceiling and lower age limit widen access for first-time entrepreneurs and young farmers. The women’s quota follows earlier figures that showed women entrepreneurs securing Rs. 29 billion under the youth loan scheme. Details of how to apply for the loans were published earlier.
Reference Link:- https://propakistani.pk/2026/11/09/pm-raises-youth-loan-limit-rs-25-million/
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
