Chandigarh, 26 September:- Haryana Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini said that the Punjab government should give a clear answer to the people on the issue of employment. The Aam Aadmi Party had spoken of providing employment to 20 lakh youth in Punjab, and therefore the government should issue a white paper stating how many youth were actually provided employment in five years. He said that providing employment to youth is not merely an election promise, but an issue linked to their future and the economic security of their families.
The Chief Minister was addressing workers at a programme organised in Amritsar during his Punjab visit on Saturday. During the programme, he also welcomed workers from different parties who joined the party. In his address, Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini said that the Congress had also promised employment in every household in Punjab, but the question before the people today is what the actual outcome of these promises has been. He demanded that the Punjab government make the employment figures public.
Shri Nayab Singh Saini said that during the approximately 18-month tenure of the present government in Haryana, around 45,000 youth had been given government jobs without ‘parchi’ and ‘kharchi’. He said that the government had given priority to transparency in the recruitment process and youth had been given an opportunity to progress on the basis of their merit. He said that the recruitment process for around 5,600 posts in the Haryana Police was underway and recruitment and interview processes for around 8,000 other departmental posts were also continuing. He said the government’s endeavour was to ensure that youth did not have to run around political persons or middlemen for employment.
The Chief Minister also targeted the AAP government in Punjab, referring to irregularities that had emerged in the result of the recruitment of Excise Inspectors in Punjab. He said that transparency in the recruitment process and the trust of youth were most important, but the Punjab government had acted to break the trust of the youth.
Haryana working rapidly to fulfil 270 resolutions
Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini said that the Haryana government was working towards fulfilling the 270 resolutions made during the Assembly elections. Of these, 70 resolutions had been fulfilled, while work on the remaining ones was progressing rapidly. He said that the government had not confined its resolutions merely to announcements, but was making efforts to implement them in a time-bound manner.
He said that Rs 5,000 crore had been provided for women in the first-year budget and more than Rs 2,000 crore had been directly transferred into women’s accounts. Similarly, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, houses had been provided to around 1.60 lakh families and their house keys had been handed over to them. The Chief Minister said that families who did not have their own land were provided plots measuring 100 square yards each in rural areas and 30 square yards each in urban areas. Around 32,000 families had benefited from this.
The Chief Minister said that the government had also worked to provide relief to needy families in Haryana. Similarly, lakhs of people had benefited from Ayushman-Chirayu. The government had made arrangements to provide LPG cylinders at Rs 500 to women from low-income families. The Chief Minister said that the system for procuring farmers’ crops at the minimum support price had been strengthened in Haryana. He said the government’s endeavour was to ensure that farmers received a fair price for their produce and did not face difficulties in selling their crops.
Haryana’s growth rate 3.4 percentage points higher than Punjab’s: Chief Minister
The Chief Minister, comparing the economies of Haryana and Punjab, said that Haryana’s real economic growth rate in 2025-26 was estimated at 9.5 per cent, while Punjab’s growth rate was 6.1 per cent. Thus, there was a difference of 3.4 percentage points in the growth rates of the two states. He said that, according to the figures cited by him, Haryana was progressing 3.4 percentage points faster than Punjab. The 9.5 per cent Haryana estimate and 6.1 per cent Punjab estimate are also reflected in budget analysis based on the states’ economic surveys.
He said that in 2026-27, Haryana’s economy was estimated at approximately Rs 15.18 lakh crore and Punjab’s economy at approximately Rs 9.81 lakh crore. The difference in the economic size of the two states was approximately Rs 5.38 lakh crore. The Chief Minister said that, in his view, this difference reflected differences in policies, leadership and accountability. The 2026-27 GSDP figures are consistent with the respective state budget projections.
He said that at one time Punjab was counted among the richest states in the country. Haryana, which came into existence nearly 19 years after the formation of Punjab, had established an important position in the field of economic progress. He said that the people of Punjab were asking why, despite such fertile land, hardworking people and immense potential, the state had fallen behind in economic progress.
Haryana’s share in country’s GDP also higher
Shri Nayab Singh Saini said that in 2023-24, Haryana’s share in the country’s GDP was around 3.6 per cent, while Punjab’s share was around 2.4 per cent. During the same period, Haryana’s per capita income was estimated at 176.8 per cent of the national average and Punjab’s at 106.7 per cent.
He said that at one time Punjab’s per capita income used to be nearly twice the national average. Today, Punjab faces the question of why, despite agriculture, industry, trade and the capabilities of its youth, the state has not achieved the desired pace in its economic situation.
The Chief Minister said that strengthening Punjab’s economy requires timely facilities for farmers, fair returns for their produce and new opportunities in agriculture. He said that a reliable system for trade and industry, respect for small shopkeepers and protection of entrepreneurs’ investments were necessary. He said that it was also necessary to connect the skills of youth with employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. He said that the situation in Punjab today was such that employment opportunities were moving out of the state and, according to him, the Aam Aadmi Party government in the state was contributing to the loss of employment.
He said that the people of Punjab had made up their minds to form a BJP government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in the coming period, which, he said, would work to make Punjab prosperous again.
Government will have to answer on results on drug issue
Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini also expressed concern over the growing drug problem in Punjab. He said that whether it was the Congress or the Aam Aadmi Party, both had failed to curb drugs in Punjab. Shri Nayab Singh Saini described the drug problem in Punjab as a serious issue and said that the real measure of action against drugs was how much their availability had declined, how many youth affected by them had been rehabilitated and how many families had received relief. He said that the government should answer on these outcomes.
He said that the tears in a mother’s eyes could not be wiped away with a political statement. Her son would have to be provided treatment, support and a dignified future. He said that the Punjab BJP was running a campaign against drugs and a large number of people, especially mothers and sisters, were joining the campaign.
The Chief Minister, referring to the efforts being made by the Haryana government to prevent drug abuse, said that the government was providing sports facilities to youth there. In addition, marathons were being organised every month in the state, with around one lakh youth participating. Through these 5-kilometre and 10-kilometre runs, efforts were being made to connect youth with a healthy lifestyle and sports. He himself also participated in marathons and, while encouraging youth to stay away from drugs, urged them to channel their energy in a positive direction. The Chief Minister said that Haryana’s sportspersons were winning medals and bringing laurels to the state in various international competitions, including the Olympics, Paralympics and Asian Games.
The Chief Minister said that the people of Punjab expected development, employment, freedom from drugs and better administration. He said that governments should place a clear account of their work before the public on issues related to the future of youth, farmers’ income, industry and trade, and facilities for ordinary citizens.
Welcoming all the workers who joined the BJP at the programme, he said that the joining of workers strengthened the organisation. He urged them to go among the people and strongly raise issues related to development, employment and public welfare.
Former MP and BJP leader Shri Shwet Malik, Amritsar district president Shri Salil Kapoor, Rakesh Rinku, Pratap Singh, Taran Jassi, besides a large number of party workers and prominent persons, were present on the occasion.
