Punjab will soon introduce a law to provide almost 100% reservation to locals in government and private jobs, Chief Minister Charanjt Singh Channi told The Tribune on Sunday.

Channi said the most important matter for the government was to ensure that the people of Punjab get jobs in the state.

“When we advertise a job, 25% [applicants] end up coming from Haryana, 15% from Himachal Pradesh, some come from Delhi,” he told the newspaper in an interview. “No space is left for Punjabis.”

He added, “I am bringing in a law to ensure that Punjabis get 100% jobs in Punjab, especially government jobs. I am consulting lawyers.”

The Punjab government is expected to roll out 1 lakh jobs in the next 45 days, The Tribune reported. “People should get jobs on merit,” Channi said.

Channi added his government also wants to create a conducive environment for the youth to do business in Punjab.

The Congress government in Punjab is studying the decisions taken by other states to provide job quota to their residents, The Tribune reported.

Earlier in November, Haryana had enacted a law to reserve 75% jobs in the state’s private sector for residents. It will be applicable to work that pays up to Rs 30,000 as gross monthly salary.

The quota was one of the key promises made during the 2019 Assembly elections by the Jannayak Janta Party – the Bharatiya Janata Party’s alliance partner in Haryana.

Apart from Haryana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Karnataka have also introduced quotas for local candidates in both government and private sectors, The Tribune reported.

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