Reiterating the firm commitment of state government to make Punjab a totally drug free state, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that due to untiring efforts of the state government no fresh case of drug addiction has came to fore in the state.Addressing the gathering during the state level function to observe International Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking day here today, the Chief Minister said that some forces inimical to the state had unleashed a malicious campaign to tarnish its image by labeling the hard working Punjabis as drug addicts. He said that all the surveys and projections regarding much hyped drug addiction in the state were redundant adding that due to massive steps undertaken by the state government the problem has been eliminated from the state. "The problem of drugs in the state is totally under control and our efforts have fructified as no new case of drug addiction has come to fore now ", added Mr. Badal.
Terming the menace of drugs as a global problem, the Chief Minister said that the fact that this day was observed across the world reflects that each and every country was facing this problem. However, he said that as Punjab was on the transit route of drugs supplied from across the border so it was fighting national war against this menace due to which it was being defamed. Mr. Badal said that the seizure of drugs by the state agencies was the highest as they have cracked down on drug peddlers by cutting its supply line. The Chief Minister urged the Union Social Empowerment Minister Mr. Thawar Chand Gehlot, who was present on the occasion, to impress upon the Government of India (GoI) for evolving a fool proof mechanism for checking the drug peddling from across the borders of the country. Likewise, he said that efforts must be initiated by the GoI to tell the states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and others to ban the poppy husk in their states as its smuggling in the state was creating havoc. Mr. Badal also asked the Union government to ensure that the medicine used for manufacturing the synthetic drugs in the country was also banned.
Listing out the initiatives taken by the state government to check the menace of drugs in Punjab, the Chief Minister said that The Punjab State Board for De-addiction and Rehabilitation under his chairmanship has been constituted to eliminate the curse of drugs from the state. Likewise, he said that a special corpus fund has been created to ensure that there was no dearth of funds for tackling this grave menace. Mr. Badal also said that a networks of drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centers had been set up in the state to detoxify the drugs addicts on one hand and impart skill training to them on the other so that they could live their life with dignity and pride. Expressing gratitude to the NDA government for extending a helping hand to the state government, the Chief Minister said that the Union government had given fulsome support and cooperation to the state government in every field. He said that in a short span of NDA’s rule, Punjab has been immensely benefitted from it as the Union government has given several key projects to the state, which would be instrumental in putting the state further on high growth trajectory. Mr. Badal hailed the NDA government for allocating prestigious projects like All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and Post Graduate Horticulture Research and Educational Institute.Likewise, the Chief Minister said that farmers of the state had been immensely benefitted from NDA government as accepting the demand of the state government the Government of India (GoI) has now revised the relief norms to the distressed farmers for the crop damage besides enhancing the compensation for crop damage to the farmers due to natural disaster from Rs 3500 to Rs 8000 per acre. However, Mr. Badal said that it was not enough as the compensation of the crop loss must be rationalized.
Earlier in his address Union Social Empowerment Minister Mr. Thawar Chand Gehlot lauded the concern of Chief Minister to make Punjab a totally drug Free State. He said that the Union government was giving fulsome support and cooperation to the state government for tackling this menace adding that the Union government has given nod to establish 26 drug de-addiction centers in the state with the support of Punjab Government. Mr. Gehlot said that the Union government would support every endeavor of Punjab government to ensure that drugs were completely wiped out from the state. In his address Union Minister of state for Social Empowerment and Justice Mr. Vijay Sampla said that elimination of menace of drugs was a prime concern and responsibility of every individual. He said that the family, society and the government needs to join hands for tackling this menace adding that the Union government would back any initiative on part of state government to tackle this menace. Mr. Sampla also listed the initiatives taken by the GoI to tackle this curse in the country in general and state in particular.
Earlier the Chief Minister and Mr. Gehlot accompanied by Mr. Sampla also inaugurated the newly constructed drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centre at Hoshiarpur. Prominent amongst other present on the occasion included Rajya Sabha MP Mr. Avinash Rai Khanna, Cabinet Minister Mr. Sohan Singh Thandal and Mr Surjit Kumar Jiyani, Advisor to CM Mr. Tikshan Sud, state BJP Chief Mr. Kamal Sharma, Chairman Markfed Mr Jarnail Singh Wahid, MLA Mr Surinder Singh Bhullewalrathan, former Minister Mr Arunesh Shakir, former Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mr Sukhpal Singh Nannu, Principal Secretary Health Mrs Vinnie Mahajan, Secretary Social Welfare Mr Jaspal Singh, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Dr S Karunaraju and Deputy Commissioner Mrs. Anandita Mitra.