Punjab Govt clears direct recruitment for 70 posts, strengthens Planning Department: Harpal Singh Cheema

CHANDIGARH: Giving a significant boost to employment generation and administrative efficiency in the state, Punjab Finance and Planning Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday officially approved the direct recruitment process for 70 posts within the Planning Department.

Disclosing this in a press communique issued here today, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government is continuously working to streamline departmental operations and provide ample job opportunities to the youth. He revealed, "A formal nod has been granted to initiate the direct recruitment for various Group A, B, and C posts falling under two key institutions: the Directorate of Statistics and the Economic Policy and Planning Board."

Sharing the specific category-wise breakdown of the approved posts, the Finance Minister said that out of the total 70 vacancies, 68 posts will be filled in the Directorate of Statistics. He specified that this includes the direct recruitment of 14 Assistant Research Officers, 4 Senior Assistants, and 50 Investigators. The Minister further added, "The remaining two posts are allocated to the Economic Policy and Planning Board, which will involve the hiring of one Group-A Programmer and one Senior Assistant."

Detailing the background of this decision, the Finance Minister explained that a memorandum was initially moved before the Punjab Cabinet proposing the recruitment of 140 officials across different categories in these two institutions. He further said, "During the Cabinet meeting held on March 29, 2026, an approval was granted to fill fifty percent of the proposed posts, which brought the total number of approved vacancies for the current recruitment drive to 70."