Chandigarh, Oct. 29 -- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday said his government was creating opportunities for young people to build their future in the state, citing more than 70,000 government jobs, improved school education and investments in rural infrastructure as evidence of progress.

Addressing a 'Lok Milni' programme at Kamalpura village in Ludhiana's Jagraon constituency, Mann handed over a cheque of Rs 51 lakh to the village sarpanch for development works. He said government jobs were being provided purely on merit, without money or political recommendations, to reduce the need for young people to migrate abroad.

The Chief Minister said 882 students from government schools had cleared NEET this year, compared with 80 in 2021. Describing education as a means of breaking the cycle of poverty, he said the government was investing in public schools to give children from ordinary families opportunities comparable to those attending expensive private institutions.

Mann said more than 90 per cent of households were receiving free electricity, while farmers were being provided daytime power for agricultural tubewells. He said canal water had reached 1,587 villages that had never received it earlier, adding that the area under canal irrigation had increased from 26 per cent to over 80 per cent. The government had spent Rs 7,200 crore on expanding canal irrigation, he said.

He also cited the construction of 3,100 sports stadiums, renovation of around 45,000 km of roads and the closure of toll plazas, which he said saved commuters around Rs 70 lakh daily. The Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna would provide cashless treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh per family, he added.

Mann said the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna would provide monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 to women and Rs 1,500 to Scheduled Caste women. The scheme was expected to benefit 97 per cent of women, with Rs 9,300 crore allocated in the state budget.

Attacking the Congress, Akali Dal and BJP, Mann accused their leaders of prioritising political power over public welfare. He also referred to a 40,000-page chargesheet against Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia, saying those responsible for Punjab's drug problem and the destruction of young lives must be held accountable.

He said his government's focus remained on employment, education, healthcare, agriculture and village development, while accusing previous governments of protecting privilege rather than addressing people's problems.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.