Anti-drug curriculum to be launched today

MLA from Ajnala Assembly constituency Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has reiterated the stand of his government to uproot drugs from the state.

Dhaliwal said launching the third phase from August 1, eight lakh students of Classes IX to XII in the state will study about drug awareness in the school syllabus. The formal launch of the curriculum at the state level will be jointly held tomorrow (on August 1) by Aam Aadmi Party national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann from Arniwala in Fazilka district.

While addressing massive anti-drug public rallies in the Ajnala villages of Majupura and Sangatpura, Dhaliwal said this unique curriculum and experimental programme in the country has been prepared by the state government in collaboration with the Nobel Prize winner and Indo-American economist Abhijit Chatterjee.

“This curriculum was implemented as a pilot project in the financial year 2024-25 among 6,900 students of 78 schools in the districts of Amritsar and Tarn Taran and it yielded impressive results,” he said.

During the third phase, the Yudh Nasheyan Virudh campaign will enter schools and colleges, educating students by teaching the curriculum. The schools will host session focused on key areas such as myth-busting, refusal strategies and resisting peer pressure. The programme will cover 3,658 schools.