CHANDIGARH-Punjab is emerging as a preferred destination for investors with a renewed focus on ease of doing business, transparency and employment generation, as Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday launched the ‘HUNAR Punjab’ and ‘Fast-Track Punjab’ portals in Chandigarh. He said the new portals will ensure all necessary approvals through a single window within 45 days, enable investors to transparently track financial incentives, and connect industries directly with skilled youth. The Chief Minister noted Punjab has attracted ₹1.90 lakh crore in investment since 2022, generating 6.31 lakh new jobs, and reiterated that the government’s priority is to create employment opportunities for the state’s youth within Punjab and make ‘Rangla Punjab’ again.
Taking to X, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated: “Over the past four years, Punjab has received investments worth ₹1.89 lakh crore, creating 6.31 lakh new jobs. To maintain this investor confidence, we have launched two major portals today. The ‘HUNAR Punjab’ portal has been launched to provide the youth of the state with employment opportunities close to their homes and to ensure that industries have access to skilled workers. Alongside this, the ‘Financial Incentives Module’ (Passbook) of ‘Fast-Track Punjab’ has been launched to provide investors with transparent information about the facilities and incentives available to them. Our aim is to provide employment to Punjab’s youth within their own state and make Punjab prosperous once again. Inquilab Zindabad.”
Addressing a press conference after launching the portals, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The launch of HUNAR Punjab and FastTrack Punjab is an important step for Punjab’s industry and youth. HUNAR Punjab will bridge the gap between industry and skilled youth and create greater employment opportunities for our young people within the state.”
The Chief Minister noted, “Around 1, 750 institutions have already registered on the HUNAR Punjab Portal, and local skilled youth will be given preference for employment opportunities in the industrial sector. Companies will now be able to directly connect with and hire skilled youth through this platform.”
He said, “The Punjab Government has implemented e-Office and online systems across departments to eliminate corruption and bring greater transparency into government functioning. These systems are reducing unnecessary delays and making government processes more accountable.”
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Punjab has attracted investment worth ₹1.89 lakh crore over the last four years, creating employment opportunities for 6.31 lakh youth. This reflects the growing confidence of investors in Punjab.”
The Chief Minister said, “HUNAR Punjab is a unified platform for upskilling, networking and access to employment. It addresses key gaps such as limited visibility of available talent, fragmented industry-institute engagement, lack of demand-supply linkage and the absence of defined response timelines.”
He added, “HUNAR Punjab is the skilling and placement pillar of Punjab’s unified interface for industry, alongside FastTrack Punjab. It brings together four important modules: Institute Discovery, Hiring and Placements, Internship and Industrial Training, and Industry-Institute Collaboration.”
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “More than 1, 700 institutions are already part of the portal across seven administrative department categories. Fixed timelines and accountability have been built into the system so that applications and requests are dealt with within defined timeframes. Dedicated dashboards have been created for industry, institutes and departments. The platform will also provide query and grievance redressal facilities along with help-desk support, making the entire process easier and more transparent for all stakeholders.”
The Chief Minister said, “HUNAR Punjab will facilitate end-to-end internships and industrial training with the participation of industry, institutes, students, alumni and departments. It will provide a structured mechanism for connecting young people with real employment and training opportunities.”
He stated, “The portal will formalise MoU-backed industry-institute partnerships covering guest lectures, faculty development, on-job training, placements, curriculum inputs, infrastructure and technology support and CSR collaborations.”
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The government is working towards the full rollout of all four modules with end-to-end processes, separate user logins, statewide talent management and departmental monitoring of placements, training and collaborations. Punjab has emerged as a preferred destination for investors, with all necessary permissions available through a single-window system. Investors applying through the FastTrack Punjab Portal will receive all approvals within 45 days.”
He said, “The FastTrack Punjab Portal will also give investors transparent information about the financial incentives available to them. Investors will be able to track these incentives through the portal instead of having to depend on multiple offices and processes.”
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Our single aim is to provide employment to the youth within Punjab itself and make Punjab ‘Rangla’ once again. The government wants the talent of Punjab to find opportunities in Punjab and contribute to the growth of the state.”
He stated, “It is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction that Punjab has received investment worth ₹1.89 lakh crore since 2022, generating 6.31 lakh new jobs. This is the result of the confidence that investors are placing in Punjab.”
Taking a dig at previous governments, the Chief Minister said, “Earlier governments used to organise investment summits and sign MoUs, but companies did not actually invest in Punjab. Today, companies are coming forward to invest because of the investor-friendly policies and environment created by our government.”
He said, “The launch of HUNAR Punjab and FastTrack Punjab will further strengthen Punjab’s industrial ecosystem. These portals will give a fresh impetus to investment, employment and economic growth in the state.”
Meanwhile, Industries Commerce and Investment Promotion Minister Aman Arora said, “These two portals will ensure complete transparency in the functioning of the department. On the directions of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Department of Industries and Investment Punjab is digitising its entire functioning so that there are no hurdles in the approval of investment projects or other related processes.”
He said, “Industry plays a vital role in the progress and development of Punjab. These portals will help industries access skilled manpower while ensuring that the youth of Punjab get employment opportunities within their own state.”
Chief Secretary KAP Sinha and senior officers of the state government were also present on the occasion.