Patiala: The Congress-led Punjab government has decided to rope in banks and other financial institutions to provide soft loans to youth for launching startups, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said today.          

Addressing a two-day convention and exhibition on Rural Entrepreneurship and Innovation, organised by the Industries Department in collaboration with PHD Chamber, the chief minister stressed the need to motivate youth to shift towards self-employment under the government's startup programme.          

Amarinder, while underlining the need for a mindset change among the youth, urged the PHD Chamber to become a knowledge partner with the government for programmes aimed at inculcating the spirit of entrepreneurship amongst youngsters.          

"Startups not only facilitate gainful self-employment for individual youth but also help provide jobs to other youngsters," he pointed out.         

Referring to the success of his government's flagship Ghar Ghar Rozgar' programme, under which he said over 1.62 lakh jobs had been provided jobs so far, the chief minister reiterated his commitment to ensuring ample job opportunities for the unemployed youth of the state.          

He cited the example of the IT hub being developed at Mohali to enable the IT sector to emerge as a major employment source for the state's talented and intelligent youngsters.            

On the occasion, the chief minister also handed over an administrative sanction of Rs 25 lakh to Principal Sangeeta Handa for the upgradation of infrastructure at the Government Mohindra College, established in 1876 by the then Maharaja Patiala Mohinder Singh.          

In his address, Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra said that his department would soon organise a job fest to provide jobs in various medical and para-medical fields. PTI