Government Has Provided Jobs to Over 23,000 Youth in Himachal: CM Sukhu

Shimla, August 20 — The issue of employment dominated Question Hour on Wednesday during the Monsoon Session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, sparking a heated debate between the Treasury and Opposition benches. The BJP accused the government of failing to fulfill its job promises, while Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presented detailed figures on jobs already provided and upcoming recruitments. Dissatisfied with the reply, Opposition members staged a walkout.

The Chief Minister asserted that his government is fully committed to creating employment opportunities for the youth, and so far, over 23,000 young people have been given jobs. In the last two years, 5,960 new government posts were created while 1,783 redundant positions were abolished.

Major Recruitment in Education, Health, and Police
Sukhu informed the House that 7,000 teachers have been recruited in the education department, 5,000 pump operators appointed, 1,100 nursing staff added, and 2,061 “Van Mitras” employed in the forest department. Recruitment for 1,300 police posts has been completed, with written examination results already declared. He further announced that appointments for 6,200 Ayahs and 6,000 NTT teachers will be made within the next two months.

Employment Abroad for Himachal Youth
The Chief Minister added that the Himachal Pradesh Electronic Development Corporation has received a license from the central government, enabling the state to facilitate employment opportunities for youth in Saudi Arabia and other countries.

Contractual Hiring Renamed
Responding to a question from BJP MLA Satpal Singh Satti on the contractual hiring scheme, Sukhu clarified that only the nomenclature has been changed to “Job Trainee” in compliance with court directions, while all other terms remain unchanged.

Opposition Walkout
The Opposition, however, alleged that the Congress government had promised one lakh jobs annually and five lakh over five years, but failed to deliver. Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur accused the Chief Minister of presenting job figures based on advertisements issued during the previous BJP regime. Unhappy with the response, BJP members raised slogans and walked out of the Assembly.

Upcoming Recruitments
Countering the Opposition, Sukhu accused them of “spreading confusion and staging political drama.” He announced that the government will soon launch new recruitment drives, including 700 Home Guards, 100 Junior Engineers, 800 Patwaris, and several other posts across departments.