Chandigarh, Aug 5 (PTI) The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday passed a resolution, praising employment generation and “transparency” in government recruitment in the past four-and-a-half years of the Bhagwant Mann government in the state.
Congress MLAs, however, sought a white paper on government recruitments, with details about posts and successful candidates, to know how many Punjabis got jobs.
On the third day of the monsoon session of the Punjab Assembly here, AAP MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal moved the resolution, lauding the state government for restoring complete transparency in government recruitment and attracting “mega industrial investments to create sustainable private-sector jobs”.
Dhaliwal claimed Punjab government has permanently eliminated the decades-old culture of recommendations, political interference and corruption in providing government jobs.
By prioritising merit over favouritism, the government has “restored the confidence of lakhs of Punjabi youth”, he said.
Since April 1, 2022, the Punjab government has provided 68,228 government jobs through a completely transparent, corruption-free and merit-based process, he said. These include 16,316 in the school education department, 14,723 in the home affairs department, 8,706 in the power department, 5,681 in the local government department and 4,758 in the health and family welfare department.
Thousands of additional appointments were also made across vital sectors, including revenue, medical education, water resources, agriculture and others, he said.
Participating in the discussion on the resolution, Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira pressed the state government to release a white paper on government jobs, detailing posts, successful candidates and their addresses.
He claimed that many jobs in government departments including Punjab State Power Corporation Limited went to candidates from Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.
Rebel Akali MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, who is now with the Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, urged the Punjab government to ensure that the first claim on government jobs in the state rests with Punjab’s youth.
He sought details of the number of candidates from other states who have been recruited to government posts in Punjab and insisted that employment opportunities should primarily benefit Punjab’s youth.
Expressing concern over the growing migration of young people, Ayali said the shortage of employment opportunities is forcing Punjab’s youth to seek better prospects abroad.
He called on the government to make skill development and vocational training a priority so that young people become self-reliant, industry-ready, and better equipped to contribute to the state’s economy.
He also stressed the need to link the capabilities of the youth with professional and commercial sectors to strengthen their economic prospects.
Ayali urged the government to fix a minimum monthly salary of Rs 30,000 for all categories of employees engaged on DC rates.
Meanwhile, the resolution underscored the state’s success in attracting private investment through policy stability and ease of doing business.
Between March 16, 2022 and July 31, 2026, Punjab secured 9,899 investment proposals worth Rs 1,83,837 crore, it noted. These projects are expected to generate 6,16,436 employment opportunities for the youth across the state.
Many companies like Tata Steel, HMEL Organics, SAEL Solar, Ambuja Cements, Happy Forgings, Vardhman Special Steels, Nestle India, and others have chosen Punjab for major expansion projects, Dhaliwal said.
These investments span critical high-growth sectors such as manufacturing, steel, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, food processing, IT, healthcare, logistics and education as per the resolution.
According to Dhaliwal, the government’s visionary governance empowers Punjab youth and mitigates forced migration to foreign nations. PTI CHS PRK
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