Chandigarh, June 8 -- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said the state has not witnessed a single paper leak incident since his government came to power in 2022, even as 93 exam papers were leaked in the country since 2017.

Speaking at an event where he handed over appointment letters to 355 employees newly recruited to different government departments, Mann asserted that his administration conducted exams in a transparent manner and gave jobs on merit.

Highlighting the state government's vision for empowerment of youth, Mann said opportunities were being created to encourage young people to stay, grow and succeed in Punjab. He said reverse migration has begun in the state, a pathway has been created for regularisation of 65,000 contractual employees, and major investments have been made in skill development through 25 new ITIs and the upgradation of 13 existing institutes.

Drawing parallels between the recruitment process adopted by his government and the situation elsewhere in the country, Mann said, "Our Central government could not conduct a NEET exam. Since 2017, question papers of around 93 examinations have been leaked across the country. Such incidents involving major examinations, including NEET, have disappointed and demoralised lakhs of youths."

However, he said, not a single such incident took place in Punjab since his government came to power in 2022. Meritorious students are getting opportunities because an honest government is working in the state, he said.

Mann said his administration has so far provided 67,037 government jobs completely on merit and every appointment was made without corruption, nepotism or favouritism.

Mann said Punjab has witnessed a remarkable transformation in the education sector.

"When our government assumed office, Punjab was ranked 27th in the country in school education. Today, according to NITI Aayog, Punjab is the number one state in school education, surpassing states like Kerala. This was made possible by our investment in strengthening government schools and the creation of world-class educational infrastructure," he said. MPOST

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