Punjab government’s mandatory ‘Business Class’ programme has enabled nearly 25,000 students to launch their own ventures within the first year of implementation, generating a collective revenue of approximately Rs 90 crore.Launched as a mandatory programme  for students pursuing B.Com, BBA, BTech, and BVoc courses across the state’s higher and technical education institutions during the 2025-26 academic session, the programme is pushing the students to be self-reliant.The initiative aims to shift the mindset of young people from being mere job seekers to job creators by imparting practical entrepreneurial training alongside conventional academics.According to official details, the programme reached nearly 95,000 students through 20 universities, nearly 500 affiliated colleges, more than 300 ITIs, and around 90 polytechnics.Within months of rollout, more than 25,000 student-led businesses have been established, with over 20,000 of them already generating revenue. Around 60 per cent of students actively participated in practical business activities and entrepreneurship tasks during the academic year.Students have ventured into diverse sectors, reflecting both innovation and local market needs. Popular areas include online clothing sales through e-commerce, bakery and food businesses, digital content creation, coding and professional services, graphic designing, fitness and wellness, retail, handmade products, beauty and personal care, agriculture-based enterprises, local services, and even tattoo artistry.The programme focuses on hands-on learning, helping students develop key skills such as opportunity identification, customer discovery, market validation, business setup, digital marketing, pricing strategies, financial planning, and problem-solvingEncouraged by the first-year success, the Punjab Government plans to expand Business Class in the 2026-27 academic session to additional undergraduate programmes across higher education institutions.The initiative is being viewed as a transformative step towards building a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the state, integrating real-world business experience into mainstream education and preparing a new generation of young job creators.Student Success StoriesSourav from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, launched “Mock in Matcha”, a unique matcha beverage venture that has earned approximately Rs 90,000.Sharanveer Singh of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, Bathinda, created “Skillexus”, a digital career guidance platform with over 2.5 lakh usersPankaj from Sant Baba Bhag Singh University, Jalandhar, runs “Zaria Jewellery”, an online artificial jewellery business via Instagram and YouTube, with revenues around ₹30,000.In technical education streams, Kamaljeet Singh from Government ITI, Patiala, started “KML Mushroom”, a cultivation and supply business that has earned about ₹1.5 lakhGaganpreet Kaurfrom Government ITI (Women), Mohali, operates “Nail Studio by Gagan”, offering home-based nail art services with ₹55,000 in revenue.