- National Youth Awards
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The National Youth Awards are conferred annually by the Government of Pakistan (the Ministry of Youth Affairs division [1]) to high-achieving and distinguished men and women from all over the country. These awards are conferred after a competitive selection process, which commences in late June every year and culminates in the announcement of the awards on the eve of the International Youth Day on 12 August.
Contents
History
The awards were instituted in 2007, and have since then been awarded annually. Advertisements are placed in leading dailies of Pakistan in late June asking for nominations. These nominations then undergo a process of thorough scrutiny by a team which includes educationists, researchers etc., in addition to the governmental personnel. After multiple rounds of meetings for this selective and transparent selection process, the awards are announced by the Ministry on 12 August every year.
Objective and categories
The main objective of the National Youth Awards, as dictated by the policy directives of the Ministry of Youth Affairs of the Government of Pakistan, is to “Recognize the achievements of the young people in their lives and of volunteers working for the welfare and development of the youth”.[citation needed]
There are different categories in which the awards are given. The awards are given to individuals who have excelled in the fields of Literature; Culture; Education; Science & Technology; Sports; Business; Community Service; Media; Qirat and Naat; Management Science; Agriculture; Computer Science & Information Technology; Environment; Technicians, Paramedics & Skilled Workers. In addition, there are awards for Special Youth and the Jinnah Youth Award for Organizations & Personnel working for the welfare of the youth.
There are no fixed numbers of awards that are conferred every year. For the year 2008, there were 35 awards that were handed out, for this year round i.e. 2009, there were only 25 awards given. The Awards are meant to encourage and garner as broad participation as possible, without placing any limitations on applications. However, the awards are only given to those who have proven their outstanding academic and extra-curricular achievements. When the awards-conferring body feels that there are no applications that merit the award for a particular category, no award is given in that category, regardless of the number of potential applications.
Eligibility and benefits of the award
Any Pakistani National aged 15-29 is eligible to apply for the National Youth Awards. There is no age limit for the Jinnah Youth Award. The Award, in addition to a certificate and a shield, is accompanied by PKR 50,000 for each recipient.
National Youth Awards 2008
These were conferred on 12 August 2008 and were presided over by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani. 35 high-achievers were conferred upon the award for this year. The complete list[2] of the 2008 awards is as follows:
Names of award winners for 2008
No. Name Province Category 1 Mr. Muhammad Shafique Azad Jammu & Kashmir Literature 2 Miss Preeya Tabita Punjab Literature 3 Mr. Muhammad Idrees Balochistan Literature 4 Miss Haniya Yameen Islamabad (ICT) Culture 5 Syeda Aneesa Rafique Punjab Culture 6 Miss Bushra Obaid Balochistan Culture 7 Mr. Zawar Munawar Saleemi Sindh Education 8 Mr. Iqtidar Karamat Cheema Punjab Education 9 Mr. Shehryar Masud Khan Khattak NWFP Education 10 Dr. Mohammad Ali Rai Islamabad (ICT) Science & Technology (Medicine / Research) 11 Mr. Kashif Mahmood Punjab Science & Technology 12 Mr. Muhammad Imran Punjab Science & Technology 13 Miss Sarah Mehboob Khan Islamabad (ICT) Sports 14 Mr. Waheed Hameed NWFP Sports 15 Miss Kiran Khan Punjab Sports 16 Mr. Muhammad Nawaz NWFP Community Service 17 Mr. Pritam Sindh Community Service 18 Kamran Khan Kakar Balochistan Community Service 19 Mr. Inam Ul Hassan Kashmiri Punjab Media 20 Syeda Mahwish Fatima Naqvi Sindh Media 21 Miss Fatimah Zafar Azad Jammu & Kashmir Media 22 Syed Zabeeb Masood Punjab Qirat & Naat 23 Mr. Muhammad Noman Tahir Sindh Qirat & Naat 24 Miss Isma Khalid Balochistan Qirat & Naat 25 Miss Ayesha Binte Ashfaq Punjab Computer Science & Information Technology 26 Mr. Mudassar Raza Islamabad (ICT) Computer Science & Information Technology 27 Engineer Muhammad Farooq Shibli Punjab Computer Science & Information Technology 28 Mr. Zain Ul Haq Punjab Technicians, Paramedics & Skilled Workers 29 Miss Nazia Maqbool NWFP Technicians, Paramedics & Skilled Workers 30 Miss Lozina Shoaib Punjab Special Youth 31 Raja Abdullah Akhtar Punjab Special Youth 32 Miss Shazia Batool Balochistan Special Youth 33 Dr. Qaisar Javaid (Chairman, Pakistan Lions Youth Council) Punjab Jinnah Youth Award 34 Noor Saeed NWFP Environment 35 Muhammad Shabir Northern Area National Youth Awards 2009
These were conferred on 12 August 2009 and were presided over by Chairman Senate of Pakistan, Farooq H. Naik. 25 high-achievers were conferred upon the award for this year. Muhammad Aadil, a special youth award holder gave a speech on this occasion, and said that special persons should not be deprived of the basic facilities as it hinders them from taking part in country’s development [3]. The complete list [4][5] of the 2009 awards is as follows:
Arshad ali (Pattoki Distt. Kasur_ Punjab) winner of National Youth award-2010
Ministry of Youth Affairs, Govt. of Pakistan presented National Youth Awards through Provincial Governments after 18th amendment.
Allegations of nepotism and favoritism
There have been incidences where some youth have alleged nepotism and favoritism in the selection of the awards. In fact, a case was filed in 2008 in the Islamabad High Court to dispute the selection for the awards, but the case was overturned, as the High Court decided the selection process was fair and transparent. More recently, for the 2009 awards, voices of dissent have again been raised.[6]
References
- ^ Ministry of Youth Affairs - Government of Pakistan
- ^ Complete List of the National Youth Award 2008
- ^ Press Release. Associated Press of Pakistan
- ^ Complete List of the National Youth Award 2009
- ^ National Youth Award 2009 Distribution Ceremony
- ^ Inquiry ordered as nominee smells a rat in selection process. THE NEWS. Aug 18, 2009
External links
- Geo Tau Aisay has won Best News Media Channel Award in Pakistan Blog Awards 2010
Categories:- Pakistani awards
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