The floods that struck Punjab in 2025 have been the most devastating since 1988. These floods have caused immense economic and human losses in the state. For the first time, all 23 districts of Punjab were affected, along with nearly 2,000 villages and about 400,000 people. Around 450,000 acres of crops were damaged. In addition, floodwater entered some government schools and other buildings, causing further destruction. Even today, though the floodwaters have receded, the hardships remain, and the threat from the Ghaggar river still looms.
During the devastating floods, the youth of Punjab, long before government efforts could reach them, stepped forward without regard for their own lives. They not only provided immediate help but also pledged to continue their support, including assisting small farmers in sowing their wheat crop. Such acts of courage and commitment by Punjab’s youth reveal their true spirit, even though, from time to time, certain sections of society label them as idle, reckless, addicted, etc.
In India’s freedom struggle, compared to any other state, the people of Punjab made greater contributions and sacrifices. In this regard, the youth of Punjab held a special place. The entire nation will forever remain indebted to countless young martyrs, including Bhagat Singh, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Udham Singh, Sukhdev and many others.
It is unjustified to label the youth of Punjab as ‘idle’ in any way. After the country’s independence, the Planning Commission of India was established in 1950, and from 1951 onwards, Five-Year Plans were launched. At that time, the nation was still facing a severe shortage of food grains as an aftereffect of the Second World War. To overcome this shortage, the First Five-Year Plan prioritised the development of the agricultural sector, which helped bring the situation under control.
However, in the Second Five-Year Plan, instead of agriculture, the focus shifted to the development of the industrial sector, which once again led to shortages of food grains in the country. The drought of 1964-66 further intensified this crisis, worsening the scarcity of food grains. To feed its people, the government of that time was forced into the humiliating position of seeking help from foreign countries. Ultimately, it had to accept the conditions set by the United States and began importing food grains under the PL–480 programme.
To address this crisis, the Central Government decided to introduce the New Agricultural Strategy. This strategy was a package that included high-yielding variety seeds, assured irrigation, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, other chemical inputs, agricultural machinery, and modern farming techniques. Keeping in view the enterprising farmers, agricultural labourers, rural artisans of Punjab, and the state’s rich natural resources—such as fertile soil and abundant groundwater—the government chose Punjab as the first state to implement this strategy on a priority basis.
Thanks to the relentless hard work of Punjab’s courageous farmers, farm labourers, and rural artisans, along with the extensive use of the region’s natural resources, the country was able to overcome the severe food grain shortage. In this achievement, the most significant contribution was that of the young farmers, agricultural labourers, and rural artisans of Punjab. This contribution continues to this day and will remain vital in the times to come.
In Punjab, among the components of the New Agricultural Strategy that were first implemented on a priority basis, the large-scale use of herbicides and machinery significantly reduced the employment opportunities of farmers, agricultural labourers, and rural artisans. As a result, the youth working in Punjab’s agricultural sector began to be labelled as ‘idle’.
Another important aspect that requires attention is that the real income of those working in the agricultural sector has been continuously declining, which has led to a noticeable decline in interest in engaging in hard manual labour. This fact cannot be considered their fault. The pro-capitalist economist Theodore W Schultz clearly explained in his 1964 published book, Transforming Traditional Agriculture, that in traditional farming, farmers are not reluctant to work hard because they are lazy, but because the returns from agricultural work are extremely low.
With the steady decline in net income from agriculture, the shrinking employment opportunities in the industrial sector, and the minimal scope of jobs in the service sector—where wages are generally low and even those often require at least basic computer knowledge—the trend of migration among Punjab’s youth to foreign countries becomes clear.
In recent years, driven by dreams of a better life, a large number of young Punjabis have migrated abroad at a rapid pace, especially to Canada. Among them, a significant proportion consists of those who went merely after passing IELTS, and many of these youth now find themselves reflecting on their own identity, saying to themselves:
“If you ask me who I am,
I do not know who I am.
I have no name,
I have no place.
My identity is just an ID number,
yet you still ask me who I am.
I belong neither here nor there,
yet still you ask me who I am.
I do not know who I am...”
Due to the shrinking employment opportunities in developed countries, it has become very difficult for a large number of Punjabi youth who migrated abroad to find jobs there. Some Punjabi youth even feel that the exploitation they face at the hands of earlier migrants and businessmen from Punjab and India resembles the suffocating stranglehold of the amarbel vel (dodder vine) on trees.
Another trend observed in society is the tendency to label Punjabi youth as ‘reckless’. The truth, however, is that the lives of all Punjabi youth have been influenced by Sikh traditions, the lifestyle of Punjabi people migrated from Pakistan during the Partition of 1947, and a small number of Punjabis who had earlier migrated abroad. Luxuries such as mansions, expensive cars like Land Rovers, Range Rovers, Mercedes, Fortuners, and Thars are often portrayed as if enjoyed by all Punjabi youth, while in reality, such extravagance is limited only to a very small group of extremely wealthy individuals.
One important point to note is that, with the adoption of a pro-capitalist model of economic growth in India as well as in most other countries of the world, the economic gap between the rich and the poor has been continuously widening. In such a context, it is natural that the extravagant lifestyles of a handful of the rich may have some influence on the poor as well. Certain sections of society that brand Punjabi youth as ‘reckless’, also argue that these young people spend lavishly on weddings, death rituals, and other social customs, like the old princely states used to do. This argument, however, is entirely hollow. It is unjustifiable to blame ordinary Punjabi youth for such extravagant spending when, in reality, it is only a tiny minority of the super-rich who indulge in such practices.
Ordinary Punjabi youth—who make up the overwhelming majority of the younger generation—do spend something on social customs, and sometimes this expenditure does go beyond their families’ means. Yet, it is essential to remember that even ordinary people have a cultural level to maintain. To share their joys and sorrows with relatives and acquaintances, they are compelled to gather 50-100 people on such occasions.
Certain sections of society, particularly some so-called intellectuals, have been propagating that Punjabi youth are addicted to drugs on a large scale. However, if one compares the use of drugs in developed countries, Punjab’s rank is far lower. Among the many reasons behind drug use, two important factors are the demonstration of consumption of drugs by the wealthy and the widening economic gap between the rich and the poor. In developed countries, due to the dominance of acute materialistic and excessive individualistic lifestyles, families are less affected by members who engage in drug use. However, it should be kept in mind that, in contrast, in Punjab and across India, the negative impact of an individual’s drug use extends not only to their immediate family but also to their relatives and the wider community.
Considering the demographic dividend in Punjab as well as across the country, the need of the hour is to harness the potential of Punjab’s brave youth in various sectors of the economy. To do so, the false propaganda against them must be stopped, and they must be protected from the exploitative stranglehold that suffocates their progress. For this reason, Punjab and indeed the entire nation must adopt an economic growth model that ensures the dignified fulfilment of people’s basic needs, especially those of the youth: food, clothing, housing, education, healthcare, a clean environment, and social security.
Gian Singh is Former Professor, Department of Economics, Punjabi University, Patiala
Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth