CM Bhagwant Mann Launches HUNAR Punjab, Fast-Track Punjab Portals to Boost Investment and Jobs

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday launched the HUNAR Punjab and Fast-Track Punjab portals, describing the digital initiatives as a major step towards making the state a preferred destination for investors while creating more employment opportunities for local youth.

The Chief Minister said the Fast-Track Punjab Portal will provide investors with a single-window system for approvals, with all necessary permissions to be granted within 45 days of application. The portal’s Financial Incentives Module, or Passbook, will also enable investors to transparently track financial incentives and other facilities available to them.

The HUNAR Punjab Portal, meanwhile, has been designed to connect industries directly with skilled youth and provide employment opportunities closer to their homes.

Mann said Punjab had attracted investment worth Rs 1.89 lakh crore over the past four years, generating employment opportunities for 6.31 lakh youth. He said the figures reflected growing investor confidence in the state.

Addressing a press conference after the launch, Mann said around 1,750 institutions had already registered on the HUNAR Punjab Portal, with local skilled youth to be given preference for employment opportunities in the industrial sector. Companies will be able to directly connect with and hire skilled candidates through the platform.

The portal will bring together four key modules — Institute Discovery, Hiring and Placements, Internship and Industrial Training, and Industry-Institute Collaboration. It will also facilitate skilling, networking, talent discovery and demand-supply linkages between industry and educational institutions.

Mann said HUNAR Punjab would provide end-to-end support for internships and industrial training involving industries, institutes, students, alumni and government departments. It will also formalise industry-institute partnerships covering guest lectures, faculty development, on-the-job training, placements, curriculum inputs, infrastructure and technology support and CSR collaborations.

He said dedicated dashboards for industries, institutes and departments, along with fixed timelines, help-desk support and query and grievance redressal facilities, would make the system more transparent and accountable.

The Chief Minister said the Punjab Government had already introduced e-Office and online systems across departments to reduce delays, improve transparency and curb corruption.

Mann said the government’s objective was to ensure that Punjab’s youth could find employment within the state itself and contribute to its economic growth. “Our single aim is to provide employment to the youth within Punjab itself and make Punjab ‘Rangla’ once again,” he said.

Taking a dig at previous governments, Mann said earlier investment summits and MoUs had not resulted in actual investments in Punjab. He claimed companies were now coming forward because of the investor-friendly policies and business environment created by his government.

Industries, Commerce and Investment Promotion Minister Aman Arora said the two portals would bring greater transparency to the functioning of the department. He said the department was digitising its operations on the Chief Minister’s directions to remove hurdles in investment approvals and related processes.

Arora said the initiatives would help industries access skilled manpower while ensuring that Punjab’s youth get employment opportunities within the state.

Chief Secretary KAP Sinha and senior state government officials were also present at the launch.