Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann asserted on Tuesday that Punjab was witnessing “reverse migration,” with youth returning from abroad to join government jobs in the State. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), however, termed the claim “absolutely misleading.”
At an event here, Mr. Mann said the State Government has handed over appointment letters to 44,667 youth in various departments since it came to power, and the recruitment was done purely on merit by adopting a completely transparent process. This, he said, has increased the faith of youth in State Government jobs, due to which they have given up the idea of moving abroad, and a process of reverse migration has started in Punjab.
Mr. Mann said that previous governments had ruined the system due to which youth wanted to move abroad. He criticised the previous Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress governments in the State. Mr. Mann hit out at the “Badal family”, and former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, accusing them of doing nothing for the welfare of people even though they had ruled the state for fairly long periods of time.
Hitting out at Mr. Mann, senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former minister Daljit Cheema said the Chief Minister’s claim on “reverse migration” was completely false and misleading. He said unemployment continues to plague the State, but the government has failed to address the situation. “Employment opportunities have almost dried up as several industries are leaving the State owing to the poor law and order situation. No new investment has come to the State in the last two and a half years since the Aam Aadmi Party took charge.”
