HP govt provides 1.60 lakh jobs in three years: Minister

Shimla: The Congress and the BJP sparred on Thursday in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, with the opposition staging a walkout on the last day of the monsoon session. Parliamentary Affairs and Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan claimed in the House that the ruling government has provided 1,60,729 employment opportunities, including 32,223 government jobs to educated unemployed youth over three years ending December 31, 2025.

Dissatisfied with the government's response, the opposition staged a walkout from the House. Responding to a discussion on job creation, Chauhan said the process of filling 18,000 advertised posts is underway and the government is aiming to provide 50,000 regular government jobs to the youth by December 31, 2026.

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Himachal targets one lakh regular government jobs by 2027

He said that by the end of 2027, the government would build the capacity to provide approximately one lakh regular government jobs in the state. Upset with the government's reply, Leader of the Opposition Jairam Thakur alleged that the government did not appear serious about such a critical issue.

He pointed out that before coming to power, the Congress had promised to provide five lakh permanent government jobs to the youth, but was now backtracking on that very promise. Subsequently, the opposition staged a walkout and Chauhan accused the BJP of grabbing headlines. According to the minister, the 32,223 government jobs provided across various departments up to December 31, 2025, include appointments in the High Court (766), Agriculture (426), and Animal Husbandry (259).

Education (7,403), Forest Department (2,133), Health (343), Higher Education (957), Industries (141), Jal Shakti Department (3,037), Public Works Department (712), Rural Development (253), Police (1,427), AYUSH (1,162), HRTC (766), HPSEB (1,286), and HPTDC (241). He said that a permanent solution to the unemployment problem in Himachal is not possible solely through government jobs.

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Himachal unemployment rate stands at 6.5%, minister says

He asserted that promoting private investment is the most practical path for job creation. Citing the Economic Survey 2025, he said the unemployment rate in Himachal stood at 6.5 per cent, compared to the national 5.4 per cent. He added that the burden of employee salaries and pensions is continuously rising.

Holding the previous BJP government responsible for the state's mounting debt, he said that when the BJP came to power in 2017, the state's debt was approximately Rs 48,000 crore and by the time the Congress assumed power in December 2022, this figure had risen to Rs 76,500 crore. He said the government inherited massive financial liabilities, including pending employee dues amounting to around Rs 11,000 crore.