Himachal Assembly Heats Up Over Employment Figures and Promises

Tensions ran high in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday as employment figures sparked a fiery debate between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur accused Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of misleading the House and the public, pointing to conflicting job statistics shared by the government.

Thakur highlighted a discrepancy: while the government claimed in 2024 that 34,980 jobs had been provided, the Chief Minister’s Independence Day speech mentioned only 23,191. “Where did the missing 11,000 jobs go?” he asked, alleging that the Chief Minister had misrepresented facts even on the Assembly floor.

He also criticized the Congress for failing to deliver on its election promises—particularly the pledge to create one lakh jobs in its first cabinet meeting and five lakh over its full term. Instead, Thakur claimed, the government had removed over 15,000 employees and abolished more than 1.5 lakh posts, leaving the youth disillusioned.

Responding to the charges, Chief Minister Sukhu defended his government’s record, stating that around 23,000 regular appointments had already been made. He detailed sector-wise recruitment, including nearly 7,000 jobs in education, 5,000 in the IPH Department, and over 2,000 in forestry. Medical and teaching roles were also filled, with hundreds of nurses, lecturers, and vocational teachers appointed.

Sukhu assured the Assembly that recruitment for 13,000 police posts was underway and that hiring for 6,200 Aaya posts and 6,000 nursery-trained teachers would begin next month. He also announced a new initiative to help youth find overseas employment through the Himachal Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation.

Reaffirming his commitment to the Congress manifesto, Sukhu said the government was on track to deliver five lakh jobs over five years and accused the BJP of twisting numbers to mislead the public.