Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has included an Ehsaas loan programme for persons with disabilities in its Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the current financial year, with interest-free loans to be offered on easy terms to help beneficiaries establish businesses and achieve financial independence.
The initiative was announced during a Khuli Kutcheri (open forum) for persons with disabilities in Swabi. The chief minister’s adviser said the government had also launched the Ehsaas Scholarship Programme with an allocation of Rs700 million for students with disabilities, enabling deserving students to pursue higher education.
Meanwhile, GIK Institute (GIKI) and Kazakhstan’s Nazarbayev University (NU) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand academic and research cooperation.
A delegation from NU, led by Provost Prof Dr Rehan Sadiq, visited GIKI and discussed research collaboration with the institute’s academic leadership.
The agreement provides a framework for dual-degree programmes, a proposed 1+1 master’s programme in artificial intelligence, a 2+2 undergraduate programme, and faculty and student exchanges.
GIKI Rector Prof Fazal Ahmad Khalid described the agreement as an important step towards strengthening the institute’s international academic and research links. NU Provost Prof Dr Rehan Sadiq said faculty and student exchanges would be an immediate priority, with significant potential for cooperation in artificial intelligence and dual-degree programmes.
