Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister, Punjab today called upon the Union government and other state governments to unify against the drug trafficking and wage a more stringent combined war against the drug peddlers active in different parts of the country.Addressing the gathering after inaugurating the National Youth Festival at Punjab Agriculture University Ludhiana, Mr. Badal said that to safeguard our younger generations from the menace of drugs the war against narcotics should be waged as a national mission. He emphasized on the need of evolving more stringent laws against the illegal supply of drugs and ongoing cross border drug smuggling in various parts of the country. Adding further he said that supply of drugs from neighboring counties posing a serious threat and it should be addressed urgently to "save our future generations".The National Youth Festival was jointly inaugurated by the Deputy CM Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal and Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Mr. Jitendra Singh at Ludhiana in which more than 5000 youth from various states and union territories are participating in different events including sports and cultural activities.
Referring to the Punjab government’s strong initiative to eradicate the menace of drugs and drug pedaling from the state, Badal reiterated that the Punjab government has not only launched a crusade against drugs and smugglers but have virtually arrested 25000 drug peddlers within the last one and a half years in the state.India being a comparatively younger country with maximum youth population, Mr. Badal suggested that the youth must be empowered by the Union government and the state governments so as to involve them in nation building tasks and their energies be channelized in constructive activities instead of drugs and other social aberrations.The Deputy CM also announced that the state government has reserved 100 category-A posts for the sports persons winning medals in international games which would further motivate the youth to participate in sports. He also clarified that this job reservation would be separate from the existing 3% quota reserved for the sports persons in the government jobs.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Ludhiana Member Parliament Mr. Manish Tewari and Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports also addressed the gathering.Earlier Mr. Jatindra Singh, Union State Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in his address thanked and felicitated Punjab Government for hosting National Youth Festival and said Punjab is not only a land of saints and prophets but also the food bowl of country, which makes country self-reliant on food security front besides playing a significant role in the independence struggle. He also lauded the Punjabis touching new heights of success on national and international level on the basis of their entrepreneurial skills and innovative minds.Mr. Jatindra Singh also announced setting up branch of Rajiv Gandhi National Youth Center, Chenai at Chandigarh in coming years. He said that with the opening of this institute at Chandigarh, the youth of North India could get a platform to contribute in the development of nation.Union Minister of state for Information and Broadcasting and local Member Parliament Mr. Manish Tewari, Union Secretary for Sports and Youth Affairs also spoke on the occasion. Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, Mr. Jitendra Singh and Mr. Manish Tewari jointly inaugurated the Youth Festival.The PWD Minister Mr. Sharanjit Singh Dhillon welcomed the gathering, guests and participants from across the country in Punjab and informed them about the initiatives being taken by Punjab Government in the field of youth affairs and sports.