Punjab Clears ₹150-Cr Plan for Five New Working Women’s Hostels

Chandigarh:In a significant push toward women’s safety and workforce participation, the Punjab government has approved the construction of five new working women’s hostels at a project cost of ₹150 crore. Three hostels are slated for Mohali, with Amritsar and Jalandhar getting one each.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, clearing the proposal, underlined the demand for secure and affordable accommodation in urban centres where women gravitate for jobs. “Our daughters and sisters come to cities to pursue their dreams. High rents and unsafe neighbourhoods often hold them back. These hostels are meant to remove that worry,” he said.

The state has experimented with such facilities before. Two hostels launched in Ludhiana and Patiala in 2019, at a combined cost of ₹35 crore, now house over 200 women. Residents say subsidised accommodation has eased their financial burden. Neha Sharma, who works in a private firm, recalls paying nearly ₹8,000 a month earlier; “Here, I manage with ₹3,500 and far better facilities,” she said.

The demand has only grown. Mohali’s expanding IT footprint, Amritsar’s business corridor, and Jalandhar’s industrial clusters continue to draw a rising number of women seeking employment. But the absence of safe, well-regulated housing has forced many to settle for long commutes or compromise on workplace options.

Each of the new hostels will accommodate 150–200 women and will include round-the-clock security, CCTV surveillance, Wi-Fi, a gym, library, common areas and basic medical support. According to Social Welfare Department officials, the blueprint incorporates lessons from earlier models. “Feedback was clear—proximity to public transport and workplaces, and predictable, affordable rents. We’ve factored these into the new design,” said Dr. Simranjit Kaur.

Economists view the announcement as more than a welfare gesture. Panjab University’s Prof. Mandeep Kaur notes that easing these bottlenecks directly impacts productivity. “Raising female labour-force participation is central to economic growth. The signal such interventions send is equally important.”

The Mann government has made women-centric schemes a consistent plank—free bus travel under the Mai Bhago Ishri Shakti programme, revised honorarium for ASHA workers, and a targeted loan window for women entrepreneurs among them. The hostels, officials say, are intended as a practical extension of that framework rather than a standalone announcement.

Construction is expected to be completed within two years. If executed well, the initiative could plug a critical gap in urban infrastructure and offer thousands of women a more secure footing in the workforce—strengthening households, and by extension, the wider economy.