As part of the massive campaign and multi-pronged strategies to check drug abuse in Punjab, Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA) in Collaboration with National Institute of Social Defence Government of India, organized one-day Workshop on Drug Abuse Prevention for Police Functionaries of Punjab. As many as 42 Police functionaries of different ranks including Inspectors, SHOs and In-charges of Police stations of Bathinda District participated in the programme.Launching the event, Mr. S.P. Joshi General Manager MGSIPA Chandigarh emphasized the need of adopting professional approach to check the illegal trafficking of Drugs from across the border besides greater efforts to generate awareness of the dangerous effects of Drug abuse in a sustained and result- oriented manner. He said that Police organization must make efforts to develop a community based system for prevention of Drug abuse by active involvement of stake-holders and social voluntary organizations.Based on the decades-long experience in Police organization in different capacities including SSP in Punjab Districts, Mr. Joshi shared his vision and strategies in checking the abuse of Drugs.
He spoke in detail on the subject Smugglers' Modus Operandi & Challenges for Punjab Police in War of Drugs.Regional Project Director MGSIPA Bathinda Mr. Jarnail Singh while welcoming participants said that Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration has organized a series of programmes to generate awareness about the ill effects of Drug abuse involving teachers, youth and police functionaries. He said that lecture sessions / presentations by Legal experts, Psychologists & Psychiatrists are arranged in every programme on steps to check flow of Drugs, treatment of Drug abuse victims and their respectful rehabilitation in the society, involving NGOs.The other experts who joined the lecture sessions included Dr. Tarun Arora, Dean & HoD (Law) Central University of Punjab Bathinda, Dr. Arun Bansal MD (Psychiatrist) Civil Hospital Bathinda and Sh. Mandeep Singh Project Coordinator MGSIPA Regional Centre Bathinda.