Implement plan to prevent drug abuse among kids in Punjab, DEOs told

Faridkot, January 19

To prevent children from drug abuse and to stop sale of drugs in surrounding areas of schools/educational institutes and child care institutions, the district magistrates in 18 districts have written to the district education officers (DEOs) to implement effectively a joint action plan on “prevention of drugs and substance abuse among children and illicit trafficking”.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had written to the district magistrates to implement the action plan. The plan has been formulated on the basis of deliberations and inputs from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Ministry of Education, Defence, Health Department and others.

These 18 districts figure in the list of 272 districts in the nation that the Centre had declared ‘most affected districts’ in terms of drug abuse and addiction. The districts include Faridkot, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Mansa, Moga, Pathankot, Sangrur, Patiala, Muktsar, SBS Nagar, Tarn Taran and Hoshiarpur.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment had identified the vulnerable districts based on the findings of a national survey on the extent and pattern of substance use in the country from the supply point of view as provided by the NCB.

As per the action plan, school principals are told to maintain a list of shops of cigarettes, beedis and other tobacco products operating within 100 yards radius of their school as per Section 6 of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act. The list shall be shared with the DEOs, who should share it with the district magistrates.

Upon receiving the list, the local authorities and police, will issue order to take appropriate corrective action to ensure that no cigarettes/beedis or any other tobacco product shops exist within the radius of 100 yards of the schools/educational institutions and other institutions meant for children.

Schools shall display and exhibit a board at conspicuous place(s) on the premises, prominently stating that sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products near the educational institutions is strictly prohibited and is a punishable offence. — TNS

Corrective action

• As per the action plan, school principals are told to maintain a list of shops of cigarettes, beedis and other tobacco products operating within 100 yards radius of their school
• Local authorities and the police, will issue order to take appropriate corrective action to ensure that no tobacco product shops exist near schools