CHANDIGARH: Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday announced that his government will provide one lakh jobs to Punjab youth in various state departments in the next two years.
Singh made the announcement while addressing the media here on the completion of three years of his government in the state.
"For the youth of the state, we will provide one lakh government jobs over the next two years," he said, adding that the employment will be provided through a transparent and merit-based system.
Amarinder Singh said jobs will be offered in several government departments, including health, education and police.
We have already provided 12.17 lakh jobs, he claimed.
The CM said his government's decisions to issue 5,000 new permits for small buses and 2,000 permits for stage carriages on commercially viable routes aimed at ending the monopoly in the transport business.
To a question about the monopoly of a single family on buses being plied from the Delhi airport to Punjab, the CM said his government was working to address the issue but the Delhi government also need to be on board.
The CM further said to promote sports, improve health and fitness of the youth, the government will set up 750 rural sports stadiums across Punjab.
Promising unprecedented development and fulfilment of all manifesto announcements in the next two years, the CM said while 225 of 424 items in the Congress manifesto have already been implemented, 96 are partially implemented and expressed confidence that the remaining 103 will be implemented in the next two years.
He gave an account of his government's achievements across all key sectors, including law and order, agriculture, industry, health and education.
Singh said he will personally take up with the Union home minister the issue of the shifting of top gangsters out of Punjab prisons as proposed by Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.
On the issue of debt waiver, Amarinder Singh said a scheme for landless labourers, which had to be deferred due to the coronavirus outbreak, will be launched soon.
The chief minister further underlined the progress made to attract investment to the state, saying the business-friendly Right to Business Act will be tabled by his government in the next session of the Vidhan Sabha.
Earlier, several ministers, including Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, talked about the government's performance in the past three years.
Badal said Punjab has revived its economy as the "ill-conceived" policies coupled with the "fiscal mismanagement" by the previous SAD-BJP government led the state to a severe financial crisis.
He decried the previous government for the conversion of debt worth Rs 31,000 crore to term loan, thereby, jeopardising the entire state finances.
On this occasion, Local Bodies Minister Brahm Mohindra, Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla also talked about the works done by them.