DW Bureau | Chandigarh, April 22: Under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government has launched the country’s largest anti-drug campaign “War Against Drugs” to make the state drug-free. To make this initiative successful and to reduce the demand for narcotic substances, the state government will release approximately Rs. 10 crore.Punjab Minister for Social Security, Women and Child Development, Dr. Baljit Kaur, held a meeting at Punjab Bhawan today with senior officers from the Departments of Sports and Youth Services, Home Affairs and Justice, Special Director General of Police, Anti-Narcotics Task Force, Health and Family Welfare, Employment Generation, Skill Development and Training, Information and Public Relations, School Education, Higher Education and Languages, as well as administrative officers from all districts. She emphasized the need for mutual coordination and cooperation among departments to achieve the goal of a drug-free Punjab.

The Cabinet Minister highlighted that awareness programs and seminars should be organized in schools, colleges, and other educational institutions to educate the youth about the harmful effects of drugs. She also urged Health Department officials to intensify efforts to bring addicted youth out of the clutches of drugs. During the meeting, detailed discussions were held on the measures being taken at departmental and district levels to eliminate drugs. Dr. Baljit Kaur appreciated the ongoing efforts and assured that the government will ensure there is no shortage of funds in making Punjab the first drug-free state in the country. She announced that Rs. 10 lakh will be allocated to each district for anti-drug initiatives. The amount may be increased for districts showing outstanding performance in drug eradication efforts.

Furthermore, the Minister informed that Rs. 2.01 crore will be provided for establishing de-addiction centres in ten jails located in Patiala, Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Bathinda, and Goindwal Sahib. She added that the Punjab Government has also introduced technological tools in the fight against drugs, including an Anti-Drug Helpline and WhatsApp Chatbot (9779100200), through which people can report drug traffickers and seek help to overcome addiction. Also present on the occasion were Special Chief Secretary of the Social Security, Women and Child Development Department, Rajee P. Srivastava, and Special Secretaries Keshav Hingonia and Vimmi Bhullar.