Sunil Chadha
Shimla: Contrary to the pre-election promise by the Congress of creating 1 lakh jobs annually, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in his budget speech for 2025-26, announced that only 25,000 new jobs will be provided this year.
The recruitment drive, spanning multiple sectors, will include positions in education, healthcare, police and public welfare departments, but the shortfall from the initial promise has raised concerns among job seekers and opposition leaders.
Education, healthcare sectors to see limited hiring
In the higher education sector, the government plans to fill 1,000 posts across various colleges and schools, alongside the regularisation of another 1,000 employees, the CM announced in his budget speech.
In the field of AYUSH healthcare, 200 AYUSH medical officers will be recruited, along with a small number of homoeopathy, Sowa-Rigpa and Unani medical officers.
Additionally, the government will fill 52 Ayurvedic pharmacy officer positions, 32 lab technician posts and 33 staff nurse vacancies, among other healthcare roles.
The police force will also see fresh recruitment, with 1,226 police constable posts currently being filled through direct recruitment. Another 1,000 vacant police positions are expected to be recruited in the upcoming financial year. The long-pending B-1 examination for constable promotions will finally be conducted for 500 posts, an exam that has not been held since 2017.
Recruitment in Panchayati Raj, Jal Shakti Departments
To improve Panchayati Raj institutions, the government will hire 853 Panchayat Secretaries through direct recruitment, alongside 219 Technical Assistants, 65 Junior Engineers and five Assistant Engineers.
Additionally, 113 Home Guard volunteer drivers will be recruited to enhance emergency response services.
The Jal Shakti Department will see one of the largest intakes, with the recruitment of 4,500 para-workers, including 2,500 multipurpose workers, 1,276 para pump operators, 500 para fitters, 92 para cooks and 132 para helpers.
However, these roles primarily fall under contractual or temporary employment, raising concerns over job stability.
Opposition questions government’s job creation plan
The opposition BJP has sharply criticised the government for failing to meet its 1 lakh jobs per year target, calling the current recruitment numbers “a major disappointment for unemployed youth”.
While the Chief Minister assured that these recruitments will provide relief to thousands, opposition leaders argued that a mere 25,000 jobs feel far short of what was promised before the elections.
Critics have also pointed out that many of these jobs are either temporary, contractual or part of existing vacancies, rather than new employment opportunities. There are also concerns that delays in recruitment processes could further reduce the actual number of jobs filled within the financial year.
Govt defends limited job creation amid fiscal constraints
Defending the shortfall in job creation, CM Sukhu cited severe financial constraints inherited from previous governments, which have forced the state to prioritise economic stability over large-scale recruitment drives.
He assured that the government remained committed to progressive employment generation and will explore more avenues for job creation in the coming years.
Meanwhile, the budget did include several salary and pension-related benefits for existing employees, including a 3% dearness allowance (DA) hike and an increment in honorariums for para-workers across departments.
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