Youth, women should be torchbearers of drive against drug abuse: Shandil

Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil today said that the youth, women and the elderly should become torchbearers for the eradication of the drug menace.

A state-level event was organised here to mark the completion of five years of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. The campaign has been running successfully in all states of the country for the past five years with the aim of spreading awareness among the youth about the harmful effects of substance abuse.

Shandil urged the youth, women, employees and citizens of Himachal Pradesh to be aware of the ill-effects of drug abuse, participate actively in the collective fight against drugs and commit themselves to eliminating this menace from society. He also administered an anti-drug pledge to all participants, including a large number of youths.

The minister said that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had launched the Chitta Mukt Bharat Abhiyan recently during which citizens took a pledge to uproot the drug menace. “If people collectively resolve to create a drug-free environment in their homes, neighbourhood, community and the state, they will certainly succeed in building a drug-free Himachal,” he added.

He said that two important Bills had been passed in the state Assembly, which contain stringent provisions such as death penalty, life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10 lakh on drug traffickers, along with the attachment of illegally acquired property. The Bills also included a provision for strict punishments and fines for those involved in drug trafficking as well as establishing a state fund to support de-addiction, rehabilitation, preventive education and livelihood assistance, he added.

The minister also virtually joined a national-level programme organised at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab. During a special interaction session between senior citizens and school students held on the occasion, the elderly encouraged students to stay away from drugs.