In the first cabinet meeting in Punjab, AAP govt decides to give 25,000 govt jobs

Chandigarh, Mar 19: In the first cabinet meeting, AAP-led Punjab government has passed the proposal of providing a total of 25,000 govt jobs, including 10,000 vacancies in the Punjab Police department and 15,000 vacancies in other govt departments.

"The Punjab cabinet has approved notification of 25,000 job vacancies within one month. As we promised before the election, job opportunities for our Punjab's youth will be the topmost priority of AAP government," Bhagwant Mann said in a tweet.

This "historic" decision would open new vistas of employment for the youth by providing jobs to them in the government sector through a transparent and merit-based mechanism, said Mann. Unemployment has been one of the major issues that his Aam Aadmi Party had raised during the just-concluded state assembly polls.

The party had promised to take the first cabinet decision of offering jobs after it came to power. Earlier on Saturday, 10 AAP MLAs, including a woman member, were inducted into the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab's Cabinet. Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 10 ministers at a simple ceremony at Guru Nanak Dev auditorium in Punjab Raj Bhawan here.

The Cabinet also cleared the presentation of supplementary demands for grants for the year 2021-22 to be presented in the ensuing assembly session. This decision would provide a budget for additional or excess expenditure incurred by various departments during the financial year 2021-22 to liquidate the pending liabilities, according to an official release.

Further, in accordance with the provisions contained in Clause (3) of Article 203 of the Constitution of India, the Cabinet also gave approval to present the Supplementary Demands for Grants of the Government of Punjab for the year 2021-22.

"Similarly, the Cabinet also gave approval for presentation of the Statement of Estimated Expenditure (Vote on Account) from April 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022 of the State of Punjab for the year 2022-23 mandated to be presented in the State Assembly in the ensuing Punjab Vidhan Sabha as per the provisions under Rule 164 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Punjab Legislative Assembly," it said.

Earlier in the day, ten AAP MLAs, including a woman, were inducted in the Mann-led cabinet in Punjab here on Saturday. Barring Harpal Singh Cheema and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, eight others are first-time MLAs. There are 18 berths in the cabinet, including the chief minister.

The AAP stormed to power after winning 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly. Mann took oath as Punjab chief minister on Wednesday.