Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has directed the DCs and SSPs to personally take on the mantle of implementation of the Drug Abuse Prevention Officers (DAPO) programme, which the state government is set to launch on March 23, the martyrdom day of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, to be observed as Youth Empowerment Day.The directive was issued by the Chief Minister while chairing a meeting of the DCs and SSPs here on Wednesday.Describing DAPO as a major initiative for partnering the community to prevent drug abuse, the Chief Minister said it was the top-most priority of his government, in which he expected all DCs and SSPs to be actively involved, on the ground, to ensure its successful implementation through their hard work and best efforts.Captain Amarinder ordered all departments, both at the District and State level, as well as the anti-drugs STF to work in cohesion to execute the programme.The Chief Minister’s Office, he said, would closely monitor the program on a fortnightly basis.
The Chief Minister asked the officials to immediately launch a multi-media awareness campaign on to ensure maximum enlistment of DAPOs and coverage of each locality in the State. He further instructed them to initiate the enlistment process immediately.Giving details of the programme, an official spokesperson later said it was designed as a doorstep model, and aimed at generating a mass movement, whereby each DAPO will aim to make his locality a Nasha Mukt Mohalla. The DAPOs will be provided training and their work would be suitably rewarded, he added.All government employees of the Punjab Government (app. 3 lakhs) and elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (app. 1 lakh) will be Ex-officio DAPOs under the programme.Prominent amongst others who were present in meeting included; Media Advisor to CM Raveen Thukral, Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, Chief Principal Secretary to CM Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary to CM Tejveer Singh, Special Principal Secretary to CM Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Home NS Kalsi, Additional Chief Secretary Agriculture Viswajit Khanna, Additional Chief Secretary Housing & Urban Development Vini Mahajan, Additional Chief Secretary Taxation MP Singh, Principal Secretary Food & Civil Supplies KAP Sinha, Principal Secretary Health & Family Welfare Anjali Bhawra besides DGP Suresh Arora, DGP Intelligence Dinkar Gupta, DGP Law & Order HS Dhillon and ADGP STF Harpreet Singh Sidhu.