Kharar (SAS Nagar), September 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Punjab Government has launched Innovation Labs at five Government Polytechnic Colleges under the flagship ‘Punjab Sikhiya Kranti’ initiative to promote hands-on learning, prototyping and industry-ready skills among students.
Punjab Technical Education and Industrial Training Minister Harjot Singh Bains formally inaugurated the initiative at Government Polytechnic College, Khunimajra, Kharar, in the presence of Member of Parliament Malvinder Singh Kang.
The labs have been established at Government Polytechnic College Khunimajra, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Badbar and Talwara at a total cost of Rs 1.5 crore. The initiative has been implemented in collaboration with Vibha India and the Maker Bhavan Foundation.
The Innovation Labs are designed as hands-on maker spaces equipped with modern technologies and tools, enabling students to experiment, develop prototypes and turn ideas into practical solutions. The facilities will also encourage interdisciplinary collaboration to address real-world challenges.
Speaking at the inauguration, Bains said polytechnic students would form an important part of Punjab’s future technical workforce and stressed the need to provide them with both quality education and opportunities to innovate.
“Our objective is to ensure that our technical institutions do not remain limited to classroom-based education. Students must have opportunities to experiment, innovate and create. These Innovation Labs will provide young people with a platform to transform their ideas into practical solutions and prepare themselves for the rapidly changing requirements of industry,” he said.
The Minister said the labs would promote 21st-century skills such as creative thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and applied technical proficiency through technology-driven projects, prototyping exercises and innovation challenges.
He added that the initiative would strengthen the link between technical education, emerging industrial requirements and employability, while helping create a sustainable maker ecosystem across government polytechnic colleges.
Bains said the Innovation Labs marked an important step towards transforming government polytechnics into centres of technical innovation, entrepreneurship and industry-ready talent development. The initiative would also help bridge the gap between academic learning and job-oriented skill development.
Highlighting other initiatives in technical education, Bains said Air Hostess courses had been introduced for the first time in the history of technical education in Punjab. He also claimed that student enrolment in government technical institutions had doubled due to the sustained efforts of the Bhagwant Singh Mann government.
MP Malvinder Singh Kang lauded the state government’s efforts to bring transformational changes to Punjab’s education system. He said the focus on modern infrastructure, skill development, innovation and technology-based learning was helping transform the traditional education system into a modern, excellence-driven ecosystem.
Among those present were Punjab Development Commission Member Anurag Kundu, Additional Chief Secretary Vikas Partap, Vibha India COO Samir Huda, Maker Bhavan Foundation CEO Gautam Khanna, Director Technical Education Moonish Kumar, Additional Director Ravinder Hundal and Government Polytechnic College Khunimajra Principal Rakhsa Kiran.
FOLLOW NOW
