DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Reiterating the firm commitment of the Punjab government to wipe out the scourge of drugs, Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Friday said that under the 'Yudh Nasheyan Virudh', a special focus has been to break the economic chain in the entire nexus.

In his address during the eight session of 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the Governor said that state Government has intensified its fight against drug trafficking and organized crime through strategic initiatives like extremely resolute and focussed launch of War against Drugs (Youdh Nasheyan Virudh) on February 25. He said that a high powered, Cabinet sub-committee under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has been constituted to make this campaign a grand success. Gulab Chand Kataria said that several properties of the drug traffickers have been demolished to send the message of firm conviction of the state to completely eliminate the problem of drugs from the state of Punjab.

The Governor said that the Special Task Force (STF) which has been restructured and strengthened as the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) , was established to enforce drug laws, rehabilitate victims and prevent substance abuse. He said that to educate people, 33,079 public awareness meetings were held statewide, and 19,523 Village Defence Committees (VDCs) were formed in just four months. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the Special Intelligence and Technical Unit has also been set up to analyze drug-related data, communications, and financial transactions, significantly boosting ANTF's effectiveness.

The Governor said that the Anti Gangster Task Force and field units have made remarkable progress in combating organized crime, arresting 1,588 criminals, neutralizing 13 gangsters, busting 571 criminal modules, and recovering 1,477 weapons and 327 vehicles used in crimes. He said that for the safety and security of the people of Punjab, the state Government has taken every possible administrative and legal measures to maintain law and order in the State. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the state Government has made significant strides in counter-intelligence, cybercrime prevention, and modernization adding that from January 1 to November 28, 2024, the Punjab Police has busted nine terror modules, leading to 59 arrests and the recovery of weapons.

The Governor said that Punjab State Cyber Crime Division continues to combat cyber threats which include establishing 28 cyber police stations in Punjab, 24x7 social media monitoring, and initiatives like the Cyber Mittar chatbot. Highlighting another achievement, he said that the state Government has launched several groundbreaking schemes in the important sectors of Health and Education. Gulab Chand Kataria said that 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics are operational in the State and a total 2.98 crore patients have availed the health services in these clinics and more than 90 lakh diagnostic lab tests have been conducted so far.

The Governor said that Medicines worth Rs. 600 crores at the prevailing market rates and diagnostics tests worth Rs. 100 crores have been provided to the patients at these clinics. He said that these clinics have contributed in reducing the out of pocket expenditure on health care of the people of State by a whopping amount of Rs. 1296 crore. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the state Government is committed to provide free medicines to all the patients in Government Hospitals and Rs. 200 crore are expected to be spent over purchasing of medicines and consumables in the next financial year 2025-26.

The Governor said that the state Government is committed to provide X-rays and Ultrasound facility in all the District, Sub-Divisional Hospitals and Community Health Centres and Ultrasound facility at very reasonable rates. He said that 554 private X-ray and Ultrasound centres have also been empanelled to provide these services to the patients at the same reasonable prices. Gulab Chand Kataria said that additional cost on this account is being borne by the State Government and in the next 12 months, approximate benefit to be provided to the patients of Punjab will be Rs. 53 Crores on account of these services.

The Governor said that a comprehensive plan has been made for the improvement of buildings of all the District Hospitals over the next three years. He said that Rs. 150 crores have been spent over civil works and installing fire fighting systems in 16 Government Hospitals during the year 2024-25. Gulab Chand Kataria said that to save the life and limb of accidental victims, the state government has launched Farishtey Scheme on January 25, 2024 to lower down the mortality and morbidity rate due to injuries occurring during roadside accidents.

The Governor said that till date 487 (178 public and 309 private) hospitals have been empanelled under this scheme adding that since the inception of the scheme, till February, 2025 a total of 404 beneficiaries have been registered on portal and have taken treatment under this scheme in empanelled hospitals, with pre-authorization amount of Rs. 42.55 lakhs. He said that currently the state has 12 government and private Medical Colleges with the total 1700 MBBS seats in the state adding that the state Government is in process of establishing five new medical colleges at Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Sangrur, SBS Nagar and Malerkotla. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the Government has launched the ''CM di Yogashala'' project to encourage regular yoga practices, promoting physical and mental wellbeing, reducing stress, and improving the overall health of its citizens.

The Governor said that Currently, 3,200 yoga classes are conducted daily across various cities in all districts of Punjab, benefiting approximately 1,00,000 participants each day.

(editor@dailyworld.in)