Prime Minister Imran Khan addressing the ceremony held for the biggest scholarship program for deserving students in Pakistan on Monday said that through the program he aims to cultivate and bring forth the most talented youth of Pakistan forward and provide them with a good base in education.

Addressing the launching ceremony of Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship Programme in Islamabad this evening, he said this program complements his roadmap to transform Pakistan on the model of state of Madina.

Imran Khan said the present government had taken the responsibility of the weaker and downtrodden segments of the society through launch of multiple social security initiatives under the flagship Ehsas programme.

The prime minister terming the scholarship programme as a giant step towards uplifting the social and economic conditions of the deserving students, with ample opportunities to excel in life and serve the nation and country.

He said in the first phase, a total of 50,000 scholarships would be given among the deserving students from 119 public sector universities.

He said the launch of Ehsas programme was another milestone in the roadmap towards transforming the country on the pattern of state of Madina. The prime minister said the state of Madina was the most successful model in the world in which the state despite having limited financial resources took the onus of its weaker and downtrodden sections of the society.

The ceremony was attended by PM's special assistant on Information and broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, members of the federal cabinet, vice chancellors from different universities and deserving undergraduate students from across the country.

The prime minister urged the students to develop an understanding of the Madina state which gave rise to the most successful civilization in the world as it was based upon the basic humane feelings for those who had been left behind in the society.

He noted that a civilization was judged not by the way the rich classes lived but it was identified with the conditions of the poor. This was a distinction between a society based upon a humane society and the other one built upon 'the survival of the fittest'.  "My government has resolved to make them our priority," he said.

He also regretted that in the country, elite class took advantage of all the facilities including education while for the poor, there was a different schooling system with numerous hurdles.

The prime minister said that Pakistan's biggest asset was its youth, stressing upon them to take full benefits of the scholarship programme.

He also referred to establishment of NAML University at Mianwali which is affiliated with University of Bradford UK, and said around 75 per cent of the students enrolled there came from the Urdu medium schools.

But despite all of this, about 50 to 55 per cent of the students secured first divisions from the University of Bradford.

"All this proves that these students (from poor families) have an urge and drive to progress in life," he added.