Under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab is fast emerging as a national model in education, social justice, and child welfare. The state government’s progressive policies set benchmarks for inclusive growth and social equity, thus guiding reforms across the country.
The Mann-led government had prioritised the revamp of the Adarsh Gram Yojana, increasing the per-village allocation from ₹20 lakh to ₹1 crore, needed for comprehensive development of model villages to recognise holistic rural development, therefore benefiting a substantial Scheduled Caste population in Punjab.
Dealing with pressing social issues, the Chief Minister’s administration has adopted a zero-tolerance approach to honour killings, demanding strict national legislation to halt discrimination and violence against inter-caste marriages. It also gave a boost to the protection under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by enhancing compensation in cases of murder and rape and giving wider relief in other categories.
Under the helm of CM Mann, Punjab has pursued contemporary and skill-based livelihood projects, providing a fillip to non-conventional vocations such as training in nursing and elderly care rather than traditional stitching and beauty courses, which have resulted in positive and gainful employment for the youth. At the same time, the state has achieved tremendous success in eradicating child begging as over 700 children were rescued with the help of laws and guidelines provided by the Supreme Court. The identification of the exploiters was done through DNA tests, while the rescued children were rehabilitated and sent to schools. “You will not see any child begging outside on the roads in Punjab today. This model needs to be replicated all over the country,” asserted the Chief Minister.
