Phillaur (Jalandhar): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday said the state government has set new benchmarks by providing government jobs to 44,250 youth of the state in just 872 days of its tenure, thereby providing government jobs to an average of 50 youth every day in the last two and a half years.
Addressing a programme organised here to distribute appointment letters to 443 officers of Police, Law & Justice and Home Affairs departments, the Chief Minister said that after the distribution of these appointment letters, the number of youth getting government jobs so far has reached 44250 and all these appointments have been made purely on the basis of merit. He said that these appointments have been possible through a completely transparent process and after the youth cleared a tough competitive examination. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the only agenda of our government since the beginning has been to empower the youth as much as possible by giving them government jobs.
The Chief Minister said that he has come to this historic complex for the second time to give government jobs to the youth. He congratulated all the 443 youth who received appointment letters today and expressed hope that these young officers will contribute in restoring the ancient glory of the state. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that today is a memorable day because these youth have got jobs and they have come into government service to provide facilities to the people.
The Chief Minister said that now these youth have become an integral part of the government and they should now serve the people with a missionary spirit. Bhagwant Singh Mann expressed hope that the newly recruited youth will use their pen for the welfare of the deprived and needy sections of the society. He said that these newly-recruited youth should give priority to serving the public as much as possible so that every section of the society can get its benefits.
The Chief Minister said that due to the pro-people policies of the state government, people’s faith in the government has increased, due to which tax collection has also increased significantly. He said that so far 19 toll plazas have been closed in Punjab, out of which two were closed only yesterday. The managers of many of these toll plazas were demanding extension of time, but their demand was rejected in the larger public interest. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that due to the closure of these toll plazas, Rs 63 lakh are being saved in the pockets of the residents of Punjab every day.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government has taken a historic step by passing the ‘One MLA One Pension’ bill which ensures that every MLA gets only one pension, while earlier the practice was that MLAs got one pension for each term, which allowed them to have more than one pension and these leaders have earned a lot of money from it. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the aim is to ensure that there is no wastage of public money and every penny is utilized properly.
The Chief Minister said that this is also for the first time that 410 high-tech new vehicles have been given to SHOs of Punjab Police to maintain law and order in the state. He said that this is also a departure from the old trend when instead of giving new vehicles to the lower levels, these were given to the higher officials. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that on one hand this has helped the police to effectively perform their duties to maintain law and order and on the other hand the safety of the people is also being ensured. He said that there is no dearth of funds to make the functioning of the government smooth and of high standard.
Calling upon the police officers to play a proactive role in rooting out the drug menace from the state, the Chief Minister said that Punjab was fighting the nation’s battle against drug menace and the Punjab Police had always acted as a barrier to stop its supply. He said that now the time had come that the Punjab Police must continue its glorious tradition to root out the curse of drug abuse from the state.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government has taken the initiative of setting up the first of its kind Road Safety Force (SSF) in the State and the Road Safety Force has been given 144 state-of-the-art vehicles in the first phase for smooth monitoring of roads, which have been deployed at every 30 km distance to monitor the roads. He said that this force has played a vital role in saving more than 1000 precious lives so far since its inception in February 2024.
The Chief Minister said that it is a matter of great pride and satisfaction that the Punjab Police is performing its duty to ensure the safety of more than three crore people of the state. The Chief Minister said that ever since he took charge, his government has been emphasizing on the modernization of the police force. He said that focus is being laid on modernization of the police force on a scientific basis and artificial intelligence has also been implemented in the police.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has already sanctioned Rs 45 crore for this purpose, which will see a major revolutionary change in the police. He said that for the first time, about 3000 AI enabled cameras will be installed on the borders to keep an eye on smuggling of drugs, weapons and other items from across the border. He said that the state government will soon recruit 10,000 new constables in Punjab Police, notification in respect of which has already been issued.
The Chief Minister said the State Government has already decided to recruit 1800 constables and 300 sub-inspectors in Punjab Police every year for the next four years to overcome the shortage of personnel in the police. He said around 2.50 lakh candidates are likely to apply every year for these 2100 posts, so all the aspiring candidates can focus on their physical improvement along with academic preparation in advance to pass the examination. Bhagwant Singh Mann said this is helping them to channelise their immense energy in a positive direction and get rid of the drug problem.
