{"id":51361,"date":"2025-09-18T19:18:26","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T13:48:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/?p=51361"},"modified":"2025-09-18T19:18:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T13:48:26","slug":"punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/","title":{"rendered":"Punjab Sees Sharpest Fall in Passport Numbers as Mann Govt reverses migration"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Punjab E News (Pawan Dhupar):\u00a0<\/span> For years, going abroad seemed like the only dream for Punjab\u2019s youth. Long lines outside passport and visa offices, and ambitions of settling in Canada, Australia, or the US defined an entire generation\u2019s aspirations. The exodus of talent- often called \u201cbrain drain\u201d- became Punjab\u2019s biggest challenge. But under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, a new chapter is unfolding, one that the government has named \u201cWatan Wapsi\u201d (Return to Homeland). This is not just a scheme, but a shift in mindset\u2014 one that tells young Punjabis their dreams can be fulfilled right here in their own land.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>According to data from the Ministry of External Affairs, Punjab has recorded the steepest drop in passport applications in the past decade. Between January 1 and June 30, 2025, the state received an average of 1,978 applications daily-one of the lowest figures in recent years. In total, 3.5 lakh passports were issued in the first half of 2025. If the pace continues, the year will close with around 7.5 lakh passports- the lowest count in the last four years. This decline highlights not only a fall in passports being made but also a rise in the number of young Punjabis returning from abroad.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Mann government\u2019s employment-oriented policies have played a key role in this shift. With over 50,000 secure government jobs provided transparently-free from corruption or influence, the youth feel that their hard work and talent are finally being rewarded. Major private investments, attracted through the government\u2019s \u2018Invest Punjab\u2019 initiative, are creating jobs in the private sector as well, with big brands such as Polycab setting up plants in the state.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Alongside jobs, the government has worked to resolve long-neglected concerns of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). Earlier governments saw the diaspora only as donors. But initiatives like \u201cNRI Milni\u201d and special grievance redressal desks have helped restore trust. NRIs now feel encouraged not just to reconnect with Punjab emotionally, but also to invest their money back home.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>For the youth, this marks a visible change. Many who once prepared to migrate are choosing to stay back and build their future in Punjab. They say when dignity and employment are available in their own state, the need to move abroad fades away.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Mann government frames this as more than just the return of people- it is the return of trust, hope, and lost pride. With \u201cWatan Wapsi,\u201d Punjab is witnessing the start of reverse migration, where working and living among one\u2019s own community is being celebrated as true success. This initiative is now taking shape as a movement that could redefine Punjab\u2019s identity, guiding it towards a new and brighter future.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Punjab E News (Pawan Dhupar):\u00a0 For years, going abroad seemed like the only dream for Punjab\u2019s youth. Long lines outside passport and visa offices, and ambitions of settling in Canada, Australia, or the US defined an entire generation\u2019s aspirations. The exodus of talent- often called \u201cbrain drain\u201d- became Punjab\u2019s biggest challenge. But under the leadership [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":51364,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-punjab"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Punjab Sees Sharpest Fall in Passport Numbers as Mann Govt reverses migration - PunjabENews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Punjab Sees Sharpest Fall in Passport Numbers as Mann Govt reverses migration - PunjabENews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Punjab E News (Pawan Dhupar):\u00a0 For years, going abroad seemed like the only dream for Punjab\u2019s youth. Long lines outside passport and visa offices, and ambitions of settling in Canada, Australia, or the US defined an entire generation\u2019s aspirations. The exodus of talent- often called \u201cbrain drain\u201d- became Punjab\u2019s biggest challenge. But under the leadership [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PunjabENews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-18T13:48:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot_2025-09-18-19-16-13-747_com.miui_.gallery-edit.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"489\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"punjabenews19\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"punjabenews19\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/\",\"name\":\"Punjab Sees Sharpest Fall in Passport Numbers as Mann Govt reverses migration - PunjabENews\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot_2025-09-18-19-16-13-747_com.miui_.gallery-edit.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-18T13:48:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/#\/schema\/person\/e6d377add6c27bb463e089e4c38b28df\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot_2025-09-18-19-16-13-747_com.miui_.gallery-edit.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot_2025-09-18-19-16-13-747_com.miui_.gallery-edit.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":489},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Punjab Sees Sharpest Fall in Passport Numbers as Mann Govt reverses migration\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/\",\"name\":\"PunjabENews\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/#\/schema\/person\/e6d377add6c27bb463e089e4c38b28df\",\"name\":\"punjabenews19\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc46b6b05854fe5941459294f5404befdac25139e9016a9ed7cd92db0d05cd9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc46b6b05854fe5941459294f5404befdac25139e9016a9ed7cd92db0d05cd9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"punjabenews19\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/author\/punjabenews19\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Punjab Sees Sharpest Fall in Passport Numbers as Mann Govt reverses migration - PunjabENews","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Punjab Sees Sharpest Fall in Passport Numbers as Mann Govt reverses migration - PunjabENews","og_description":"Punjab E News (Pawan Dhupar):\u00a0 For years, going abroad seemed like the only dream for Punjab\u2019s youth. Long lines outside passport and visa offices, and ambitions of settling in Canada, Australia, or the US defined an entire generation\u2019s aspirations. The exodus of talent- often called \u201cbrain drain\u201d- became Punjab\u2019s biggest challenge. But under the leadership [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/","og_site_name":"PunjabENews","article_published_time":"2025-09-18T13:48:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":489,"url":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot_2025-09-18-19-16-13-747_com.miui_.gallery-edit.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"punjabenews19","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"punjabenews19","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/","url":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/","name":"Punjab Sees Sharpest Fall in Passport Numbers as Mann Govt reverses migration - PunjabENews","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot_2025-09-18-19-16-13-747_com.miui_.gallery-edit.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-18T13:48:26+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/#\/schema\/person\/e6d377add6c27bb463e089e4c38b28df"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot_2025-09-18-19-16-13-747_com.miui_.gallery-edit.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Screenshot_2025-09-18-19-16-13-747_com.miui_.gallery-edit.jpg","width":1080,"height":489},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/latest\/punjab-sees-sharpest-fall-in-passport-numbers-as-mann-govt-reverses-migration\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Punjab Sees Sharpest Fall in Passport Numbers as Mann Govt reverses migration"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/#website","url":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/","name":"PunjabENews","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/#\/schema\/person\/e6d377add6c27bb463e089e4c38b28df","name":"punjabenews19","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc46b6b05854fe5941459294f5404befdac25139e9016a9ed7cd92db0d05cd9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc46b6b05854fe5941459294f5404befdac25139e9016a9ed7cd92db0d05cd9c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"punjabenews19"},"url":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/author\/punjabenews19\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51361"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51365,"href":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51361\/revisions\/51365"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/punjabenews.com\/English\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}