Chandigarh, October 12, 2025: Towards empowering Punjab’s youth and tackling unemployment, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Aam Aadmi Party’s National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday launched the ‘Punjab Startup App’ and the ‘Entrepreneurship Mindset Course’ at a grand ceremony at Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh. With this initiative, Punjab has become the first state in India to make entrepreneurship a mandatory subject in higher education.
The new programme, termed a “historic revolution in education and employment” by the state government, intends to turn every student into an entrepreneur by allowing them to earn while they learn, according to officials.
More than 8 lakh students studying in universities, colleges, ITIs, and polytechnics across Punjab will be connected through the Punjab Startup App.
Starting from the 2025–26 academic year, the course will be introduced in 20 universities, 320 ITIs, and 91 polytechnic colleges, benefitting around 1.5 lakh students, with a target to reach 5 lakh students by 2028–29. Every semester, students will develop and present their own startup ideas, earning academic credits based on their business performance — a model that combines education with real-world entrepreneurship.
The Punjab Startup App, available in Punjabi, Hindi, and English, features 24×7 AI support to assist students with business queries and a team of experts to guide them in turning ideas into viable ventures. The app provides resources for planning, marketing, financial management, and customer engagement — creating a complete startup ecosystem for students.
Addressing the gathering, Arvind Kejriwal said Punjab had set a national precedent by making entrepreneurship an integral part of higher education. “This app will give every youth a dream and the tools to make it real. If this model is adopted across India, our nation can become a global superpower,” he said. Kejriwal emphasized that Punjab’s youth are naturally enterprising, and this initiative will channel their potential to compete with leading economies like China.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann called the initiative a “gift to the youth of Punjab”, saying it would transform students from job-seekers to job-creators. “Our youth no longer need to wait for employment — they will create it. Like YouTube, which began as a college project, many such ideas from Punjab’s students will change the world,” Mann said. He added that within just 15 days of the app’s soft launch, 75,000 students had registered, generating business worth ₹25 lakh through their startups.
Education Minister Harjot Bains and senior officials also hailed the initiative as a bold step that will redefine the purpose of education in Punjab. The government noted that Punjab is the first state to introduce entrepreneurship as a subject for Class 11 students, ensuring that the spirit of innovation and self-reliance begins at the school level.
Through the Entrepreneurship Mindset Course, students will gain practical skills in market analysis, leadership, risk-taking, and problem-solving. The government said the course would prepare students not only to get jobs but to create opportunities for others, building a new generation of self-reliant, confident youth.
Officials said the early success of the Punjab Startup App reflects the hunger for entrepreneurship among the state’s young minds. Many students have already launched small ventures — from food startups to digital services — proving that the initiative is much more than a scheme; it’s a movement for economic transformation.
The Mann government described the app as the foundation of Punjab’s vision to become India’s largest startup hub. Both Kejriwal and Mann expressed confidence that the Punjab model of combining education with entrepreneurship would soon inspire other states and help India emerge as a global economic powerhouse.
