The North News
Chandigarh, December 29
The Punjab government has created more than 59,000 permanent government jobs and facilitated tens of thousands of private-sector placements as part of a broader effort to curb youth migration and retain talent within the state. The figures were shared on Monday by Employment Generation, Skill Development and Training Minister Aman Arora, who said the initiatives formed part of a multi-pronged employment strategy under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
According to the government, 59,702 young people have been appointed to permanent positions across various state departments since April 2022. In addition, nearly 49,000 candidates secured private-sector jobs through placement camps, while more than 10,000 youths were supported towards self-employment through loan facilitation programmes during 2025. Arora said the state was focusing not only on job creation but also on large-scale skill development to address what he described as Punjab’s long-standing “brain drain”. He said the Punjab Skill Development Mission had trained more than 19,600 candidates, with placements currently under way.
Punjab has also rolled out its own skilling programme, the Punjab Hunar Vikas Yojana, and entered collaborations with global technology firms including Microsoft, IBM and NASSCOM, aimed at preparing youth for corporate and global roles. “Our data shows we are not just making promises. We are delivering appointment letters, skill certificates and supporting entrepreneurship,” Arora said, adding that young people no longer needed to look outside Punjab for opportunities.
The government said its employment portal, PGRKAM, had emerged as a key platform, registering over 2.24 million job seekers and more than 20,000 employers. Officials said the portal had hosted more than 1,300 job fairs, helping to connect employers directly with candidates.
The state also highlighted gains in defence-related training. The Maharaja Ranjit Singh Armed Forces Preparatory Institute reported an NDA success rate of over 82%, with dozens of cadets joining the National Defence Academy or being commissioned as officers in 2025.
In what the government described as a landmark step towards gender parity, Punjab launched the country’s first state-run NDA preparatory wing for girls at the Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute. Officials said several women cadets had already been selected for officer training academies or commissioned into the armed forces.
Punjab’s C-PYTE centres have also trained more than 8,000 youths for armed and paramilitary services, with over 1,200 securing placements in the current financial year.
Arora said the government was working to build a long-term ecosystem of employment and opportunity. “Every job created and every skill imparted strengthens Punjab’s future and helps retain our most valuable resource—our youth,” he said.
