NEW DELHI: Punjab’s ‘Business Class’ programme, introduced under the state government’s Sikhya Kranti initiative, has helped over 20,000 student-led ventures generate nearly Rs 90 crore in revenue within a year, Higher Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said on Sunday.The programme, launched during the 2025-26 academic session, included a compulsory two-credit course for students pursuing B.Com, BBA, B.Tech and B.Voc courses, besides those studying in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and polytechnic colleges.According to the government, around 95,000 students from 925 higher and technical education institutions participated in the programme.Of these, 25,693 students started businesses, while 20,241 ventures generated nearly Rs 90 crore in revenue during the first year.Bains said the initiative aims to transform students from job seekers into entrepreneurs and employment generators.“Our objective is not merely to award degrees but to nurture a generation of young innovators, entrepreneurs and job creators,” he said in a statement.The minister further said the results demonstrate that young people can build businesses and contribute to the state’s economy when provided with the right opportunities.Under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s leadership, Punjab’s Sikhya Kranti is preparing youth “not just for the jobs of tomorrow, but to create tomorrow’s opportunities,” he said.The programme was implemented across 20 universities, 494 colleges, 320 ITIs and 91 polytechnic colleges.Unlike conventional classroom teaching, the course focuses on practical entrepreneurial skills, including identifying business opportunities, market validation, business setup, digital marketing, pricing, customer acquisition, financial planning and communication.The government said nearly 57,000 students, or about 60 per cent of participants, actively engaged in practical business activities during the academic session.Students launched ventures in sectors including e-commerce, food services, digital content creation, coding, graphic design, retail, beauty services, agriculture-based enterprises and handicrafts.Among the examples cited by the government were a matcha beverage startup by a Guru Nanak Dev University student, a digital career guidance platform developed by a student of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, an online jewellery business, a mushroom cultivation enterprise, a home-based nail art venture and an online electronics store.Encouraged by the programme’s performance, vice-chancellors of universities across Punjab have recommended extending the course to all undergraduate programmes, including BA and BSc, from the 2026-27 academic session, the statement said.The government said the expansion is expected to equip a larger number of students with entrepreneurial skills alongside their regular academic studies.
