The Punjab government recently announced that around 55,000 appointment letters have been handed over to unemployed youth across the state. At first glance, this seems like a significant achievement. However, a closer look at the numbers raises serious questions about the ground reality.
Punjab has roughly 12,800 villages. If we evenly distribute 55,000 appointments across these villages, it comes to approximately 4.3 appointments per village. While this may sound reasonable mathematically, the actual scenario on the ground tells a very different story. Many villages report that only a handful of families—or sometimes none at all—have received any job opportunities. Large clusters of youth continue to struggle with unemployment, often forced to migrate to other states or countries in search of work.
This stark contrast highlights a critical issue: government figures alone cannot capture the real employment situation. While handing over appointment letters is important, ensuring that these jobs actually reach deserving candidates in every village and that the process is transparent is even more crucial. Without addressing these gaps, the claim of 55,000 appointments risks being seen as a mere political statement rather than a tangible improvement in the lives of Punjab’s unemployed youth