Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Senior Leader and Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema alleged that despite nearly one lakh vacancies in various government departments in Punjab, the Congress government and SAD-BJP government did not provide jobs to the youth of the state and on the top of that they kept exploiting the unemployed youth financially, by charging crores of rupees in the form of recruitment process and farms fees.

Cheema promised that with the formation of Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, the incomplete recruitment process would be completed and other vacancies would be filled on priority basis. In a statement issued from the party headquarters on Monday, Harpal Singh Cheema said that one lakh posts are vacant in the Punjab government departments. Disclosing the details, Cheema said that there are 8900 vacancies for ETT, 800 vacancies for B.Ed, 200 vacancies for librarian, 1100 vacancies for college lecturers and 8300 vacancies for NTT in the education department.

Similarly 10,000 in Punjab Police, 5000 for Home Guards, 800 for Warden in Jail Department, 1100 for Patwari, 800 for Panchayat Secretary, 800 for Watchmen in FCI, 148 for Inspector, 600 for PSTCL, 1000 for PSPCL. There are about one lakh vacancies in other institutions including 1700 linemen, 800 ward attendants in the health department, 1000 posts of draftsmen, 1000 posts of engineers and 200 posts of cooperative banks.

He said that lakhs of educated youth were waiting for employment but the ruling SAD-BJP and Congress governments had not given government jobs to the unemployed. Harpal Singh Cheema accused the Congress party of deceiving and backstabbing the youth of Punjab. He said that Congress party promised employment to every household in their 2017 election manifesto but, after coming to power, Captain and Congress reneged on their promise to give government jobs to the common people.

He said that Congress had betrayed the common people and gave high level jobs to the sons and daughters of Congress MLAs and leaders including the grandson of former Chief Minister Beant Singh. Criticizing the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and  Bhartiya Janata Party, Harpal Singh Cheema said that even the SAD-BJP government which had been in power for 10 consecutive years had not tried to fill the vacancies due to which lakhs of youth of Punjab became over age for a government job.

Harpal Singh Cheema promised the youth of Punjab that with the formation of Aam Aadmi Party government in the state the vacancies would be filled immediately and the incomplete recruitment process in various departments would be completed. Cheema said that the recruitment of government posts would be done on the basis of pure merit and no recommendation, use of money and nepotism would be tolerated. Instead, an example of transparency will be set in AAP governance.