The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab president and Member of Parliament (MP) Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said the state’s youth is paying the price for the incompetence of the state government as there is no reservation for Punjab’s unemployed in government and private jobs in the state.

“For the last 30 years, the Congress and the SAD-BJP government in Punjab have not formulated any policy to secure jobs in the public and private sectors for the youth of the state which leads to candidates from other states occupying Punjab’s public and private sector jobs,” Mann said.

He said the latest example of this was the inclusion of 51 to 71 percent of candidates from other states in the merit list for various posts of Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL).

Mann disclosed that PSTCL has started the recruitment process for various posts and as per the prepared lists of the same, up to 71 percent of candidates from other states have managed to get jobs.

“According to the list released by PSTCL, out of the total 95 posts of assistant linemen general category, 64 posts have been filled by candidates from other states, accounting for 67 percent share. Similarly, out of 39 posts of assistant sub-station attendant, 28 posts were taken by candidates from other states, which constitutes 71.70 percent share. Out of 54 posts of junior engineer, 28 posts (52 percent) jobs and out of 11 posts of assistant engineer, four posts i.e. 36 percent jobs were taken by candidates from other states,” the AAP leader said.

Mann said the ruling Congress had promised ‘Ghar-Ghar Rozgar’ to the people of Punjab to get votes, but that promise is being fulfilled by giving jobs to the youth of other states which proves that the interests of Punjab and the people of Punjab have never been on the agenda of the Congress.

He said while the people of Punjab could not even buy land in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Rajasthan, but by violating the rights of Punjab and its youth, the residents of other states could also buy agricultural land here and get jobs. “This clearly means that the Congress and the Badal government that has been ruling Punjab alternately are asleep,” Mann added.

“Had they been vigilant, reservations would have been implemented for the youth of Punjab in government and private sector jobs,” the AAP leader said.

Mann said other states like Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, etc, have reserved up to 80 percent job quota for the youth of their state.