Punjab government will soon draft a Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) in collaboration with immigration departments of foreign countries for regulating framework for immigration consultants and IELTS centers in Punjab.A decision to this effect taken in a high level meeting under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Technical Education and Employment Generation Minister Rana Gurjit Singh. The meeting was jointly conducted by Department of Employment Generation, Skill Development & Training and Department of Home Affairs, Government of Punjab.Chairing the meeting the Deputy Chief Minister and Technical Education Minister underscored the need for framing the SOP to regulate the ghost immigration consultants, to stop fake marriages and control of biometric appointment issues in Punjab. They also said that a policy will also be formulated in coordination with IDP Education Ltd, an International body for conducting IELTS tests.
Deputy Chief Minister S Randhawa said that youth of state are moving to foreign lands. He said that the Punjab government is committed to provide them a legalised framework through which they move abroad without falling prey to sharks who are trying to mint money by fulfilling their dreams through illegal way. He said that no stone will be left unturned for ensuring that youth don’t get exploited in hands of fake and illegal travel agents.Rana Gurjit Singh said that this institute will facilitate in setting up of IELTS Training and Testing CENTRES in Technical Universities under the monitoring of Technical Education Department of Government of Punjab so as to regulate the private IELTS centers.On the Occasion Principal Secretary Home Anurag Verma, Principal Secretary Employment Generation, Skill Development & Training Dilip Kumar, Principal Secretary Technical Education & Industrial Training Raj Kamal Chaudhary, Director, Department of Employment Generation, Skill Development & Training M.K. Aravind Kumar, Special Principal Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister Varun Roojam, IG Crime Gautam Cheema, Advisor Dr. Sandeep Singh Kaura and others were also present.