CHANDIARH: As the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab marks three years and three months in power, it stands at a critical juncture amid growing criticism largely due to unmet promises. While the government has made significant strides in a few sectors like health and education, the ambitious vision of transforming Punjab into a model state remains elusive. Challenges such as mounting debt, unfulfilled promises, and political pressures cast shadows as the 2027 elections loom.
The AAP manifesto, titled ‘For A Modern, CorruptionFree and Prosperous Punjab’, promised to provide 25 lakh jobs and fill 1.25 lakh government vacancies to ensure Punjab’s youth get jobs and do not migrate abroad. The government claimed to have provided 26,074 government jobs, followed by an additional 44,786 jobs across various departments by September 2024.
The February 2025 cabinet approved 60,000 more jobs. However, unemployment remains a challenge, with an overall 6% youth unemployment rate against the national average of 3.2% in 2024—Punjab ranks fourth highest in the country in unemployment. The latest report from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for October to December 2024, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, revealed a sharp rise in youth unemployment in urban Punjab. The joblessness rate in the 15-29 age group surged from 12.2% in July-September 2024 to 14.9% in October-December 2024.
Female unemployment also increased significantly, rising from 18.5% to 21.7%, while male unemployment went up from 10.7% to 12.8%. Punjab’s rising unemployment is pushing youths to adopt illegal methods to migrate abroad; out of 332 illegal immigrants recently deported by the USA on three separate flights, 126 (or 38%) were from Punjab. Another unmet promise was making Punjab a drug-free state. Though the Punjab Police have done remarkable work targeting drug lords, the tag of a drugfree state remains a distant dream. Even the state’s governor, Gulab Chand Kataria, recently said in an interview that the “drug menace” remains Punjab’s biggest challenge.
The Punjab government’s self-imposed deadline of May 31 to eradicate drug availability passed without success. The state’s Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, while highlighting achievements, did not declare Punjab “drugfree,” stating that the battle against narcotics is not yet over. Supporting his claims with figures, Yadav revealed that under the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign, launched on March 1, Punjab Police have registered 8,344 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 14,734 people involved in drug trade, and seized 586 kg of heroin, 247 kg of opium, 14 tonnes of poppy husk, 9 kg of charas, 253 kg of ganja, 2.5 kg of ICE, 1.6 kg of cocaine, and 25.7 lakh intoxicant pills.
Police have also recovered Rs 10.76 crore in drug money, frozen 144 illegally acquired properties worth Rs 74.27 crore, and demolished 104 illegal properties. “The fight against drugs will remain relentless to ensure Punjab is free of the drug menace,” he added. Corruption has been another key challenge for the Mann government. Even during his visit to the state earlier this year, Arvind Kejriwal admitted that corruption remains one of Punjab’s biggest problems. By mentioning “corruption” 14 times, AAP’s manifesto promised, “Our government will make Punjab corruption-free under an effective Lokpal bill.” Amid criticism for failing to deliver on this promise, the Punjab government recently intensified its anticorruption drive, suspending officials to combat graft across various ranks. In March, a clerk at Malout Nagar Council was arrested for soliciting bribes from impoverished women seeking financial aid, highlighting corruption at the local level.
On April 25, the Vigilance Bureau chief, Special DGP SPS Parmar, was suspended alongside SSP Harpreet Singh Mander and AIG Swarandeep Singh in connection with a driving license scam, underscoring the government’s willingness to target senior officials. However, on May 18, Mander and Singh were controversially reinstated despite their earlier suspension in the same scam, drawing public criticism.
On May 26, Punjab Police constable Amandeep Kaur, previously dismissed after a heroin-related arrest, was booked for amassing disproportionate assets worth Rs 1.35 crore. Finally, on May 28, SSP Fazilk a Varinder Singh Brar was suspended after four cybercrime police officers were arrested for extorting Rs 1 lakh from a minor’s family by threatening false implications in a case.
