Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday targeted vested interests of influential political families for the state lagging behind in the process of development and youth being deprived of employment opportunities.

Addressing the gathering, while handing over employment letters to newly recruited youth in  government departments, the CM said the hands of these families are drenched with treachery and ruining the future of younger generations.

He further lashed these families saying they were conniving with forces for getting personal benefits and harming the interests of the state. Mann said that this was an unpardonable sin with Punjab and its youth due to which people had ousted these families from power in the state.

The CM further highlighted that the state government is regularly working to restore the pristine glory of the state. He asserted that it is a matter of great pride and satisfaction for him that Tata group will set up a big project in the state near Ludhiana with an investment of Rs 2600 Crore.

This is the biggest investment by Tata steel after Jamshedpur, he said, adding that more key industrial projects will be set up in the state in coming days.

The CM said this is happening as now when these companies are coming for investing in the state, they are signing agreements with the state government. However, he bemoaned that earlier such investors ran away from investing as they were forced to sign agreements with ruling families instead of the state.

Mann quipped that his predecessors used to ask what benefit their families will get from such projects but on the contrary now he asks how many youth will get jobs from these projects.

Congratulating the newly recruited candidates, the CM said more such transparent recruitments are in pipeline and will be completed soon in a transparent manner.

He said the maiden decision of the Aam Aadmi Party government in the state was to embark the recruitment process for the youth. He asserted the state government is committed to streamlining the affairs in each and every department for ensuring that people don’t face any problem.