Chandigarh University Launches ‘Udaan’ to Support Repatriated Indian Youth with Free Education & Employment

Chandigarh, Punjab ESTD 2012

Chandigarh University Becomes First University to Provide Assistance to Indian Youth Repatriated from US with the Launch of Rehabilitation Program 'Udaan'

Chandigarh University Initiates Rehabilitation Program 'Udaan'; To Assist Indian Youth Repatriated from US with Free Skill Development Training, Education, Career Mapping, Employment & Entrepreneurship Opportunities

Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu Declares Roll-out of 'Udaan' Helpline & Portal to Assist Indian Youth Repatriated from US in Building Back Their Futures with Skill Development, Reskilling, Education, Employment & Entrepreneurship

Chandigarh University emerged as the first Indian university to step forward for assisting repatriated Indian youths from US with Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Chancellor of Chandigarh University Satnam Singh Sandhu making the announcement regarding the initiation of a rehabilitation program 'Udaan' for providing free of cost career mapping, counselling, higher education prospects, skill development and reskilling courses and appropriate employment opportunities to such youth in local industries.
Speaking at a Press Conference, the Rajya Sabha MP informed that Chandigarh University has started a helpline number (+91 98759 70027) and website www.cuchd.in/udaan-2025/ to provide all the assistance needed to the repatriated youth.
"The repatriated youth may contact Chandigarh University using the helpline number and registrations on the dedicated website for this rehabilitation programme 'Udaan'.". Under it, not only will we provide counselling to the youth to enable them to overcome the trauma caused due to the repatriation and know their career goals for the future ahead, mapping will also be conducted to evaluate their skill levels so that we can provide them free of cost courses for their skilling and reskilling which will improve their employability. If these youngsters aspire to pursue higher studies, Chandigarh University will also offer it absolutely free of charges at our campus. This notwithstanding, we will also endeavor to offer appropriate job opportunities to these repatriated youngsters in the industry at Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh," said Sandhu. He stated that in the initial phase, Chandigarh University's rehabilitation programme will encompass repatriated youth from Punjab that accounts for the largest percentage of immigrants repatriated from US to India.
Punjab natives account for 126 (37.8 per cent) of the 333 individuals repatriated in US military planes, followed by 110 from the border state of Haryana and 74 from Gujarat. The others belonged to Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Goa and one each from Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. "Most of them have been repatriated from the US have recently left their families with aspirations of a good future but were repatriated because of immigration issues.
They have come back to India with broken dreams, economic hardship, and psychological trauma.". Families of most of the repatriated youths are now in serious financial distress, as they had taken huge loans to send their relatives abroad. With their hopes belied, they are now finding it difficult to repay the loans. So it's our responsibility as a society to rehabilitate them properly and reintegrate them into society. Thus, under Udaan programme, Chandigarh University will give all the assistance for rehabilitation' of these repatriated youth who are mostly children of very common families," Sandhu stated. Giving details, the Rajya Sabha member, who is from Punjab, said under this 'rehabilitation programme', Chandigarh University will offer professional counselling to the youths repatriated from the US recently. “We will assess the skill levels of these repatriated youths in order to prepare a future career roadmap for their rehabilitation under the Udaan.
If a repatriated youth requires further education or reskilling for a good future, the Chandigarh University will offer higher education opportunities to such individuals with special short term job-oriented courses free of cost.
If needed, Chandigarh University will also create special skill development or reskilling courses for such individuals so that they receive more job opportunities in nearby future. We will also team up with local industry in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh for arranging employment opportunities for repatriated youths near their native locations. We would also link these youth to appropriate employment opportunities in the private sector under Rozgar Melas," Sandhu added. The Member of Parliament stated, "If the repatriated youth wants to pursue your entrepreneurial venture, Chandigarh University would give them full support by offering them basic entrepreneurship development course for enabling them with the knowhow and skills necessary to set up and run a successful venture.". Apart from training them on the essentials of entrepreneurship like risk consciousness, strategies for marketing and elementary registrations by way of Technology Business Incubator (TBI) at Chandigarh University that promotes entrepreneurship capabilities, generate self-employment, product innovation and production, Chandigarh University will also offer them complete details of all the government schemes and subsidies to enable them to establish their own business,". Ends