Hoshiarpur- Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, while addressing a press conference at DAV College of Education, Hoshiarpur, said that public awareness against drug abuse is increasing in Punjab and it has now started taking the form of a mass movement. Appreciating the concrete steps taken by the Punjab government, he said that positive changes are visible in the society and people are now uniting against drug abuse.
The Governor made it clear that the problem of drug abuse cannot be eradicated by government efforts alone, therefore every section of the society, parents, teachers, youth, common people and administration will have to play an active role together. He said that unemployment and emptiness are the root causes of drug addiction.
If the youth are connected to employment and creative activities, they can avoid this evil. He suggested that educational institutions should play their role, form teams and send students to villages so that they can know the ground reality. Through this, it is possible to reduce drug addiction by 50 percent.
Describing mothers as the most influential persons in the lives of children, the Governor said that the role of mothers is most important in protecting them from bad company and drug addiction. He appealed to the parents to involve their children in positive activities like agriculture, business and sports and inculcate the habit of hard work in them.
Earlier, while addressing the members of Gram/Ward Raksha Samitis, the Governor said that the role of these committees is very important in the anti-drug campaign. He appealed to the administration to make these committees more powerful so that they can play a decisive role in identifying and stopping drug smugglers.
Governor Gulab Chand Kataria said that Punjab is the land of heroes, saints and martyrs who have played a leading role in the freedom struggle, defense of the country and food grain production. He said that Punjab will have to fight a decisive battle against drug addiction to restore its old glory and leadership role. The Governor reiterated that this war against drug addiction can be successful only when the administration, society, parents, youth and every citizen are united. He said that whatever work is given, do it with full dedication. A person is respected by his qualities, not by money.
During this, Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain gave detailed information to the Governor of Punjab about the work being done against drug abuse in the district. She informed that the number of beds in the de-addiction centers of the district has been increased from 100 to 460. Similarly, the capacity of beds in private de-addiction centers has been increased from 70 to 222. She informed that three new psychologists have been appointed in Tanda, Mukerian and Garhshankar. Apart from this, three new OAT centers are being established in the district.
She informed that we are sending door-to-door teams to make people aware in the hot spot areas of the district. She informed that the district police is also playing its role well in the campaign against drug abuse. While the police is arresting big drug smugglers, their property is also being confiscated. She assured the Governor of Punjab that soon Hoshiarpur district will become 100 percent drug free.
On this occasion, Secretary to the Governor of Punjab Vivek Pratap Singh, Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain, SSP Sandeep Kumar Malik, ADC (General) Amarbir Kaur Bhullar, SDM Hoshiarpur Gursimranjit Kaur, Chairman of DAV College Management Committee Dr. Anoop Kumar, Principal Vidhi Bhalla and other dignitaries were present.