Mahilpur/Hoshiarpur, March 22: As part of the Punjab government's campaign "War Against Drugs" to eradicate drug abuse, a national marathon dedicated to the martyrdom of Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh was organized this morning at the local Sri Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College. People from all walks of life enthusiastically participated in the marathon, pledging to spread awareness against drug abuse and promote sports.
The marathon, which began at 4 a.m., flagged off runners in the 42-kilometer category at 5 a.m. Deputy Speaker Jai Krishna Singh Raudi stated that eliminating the drug problem is no big challenge given the enthusiasm and courage of Punjabis. He added that eliminating drug addiction is completely possible through joint efforts, and the Punjab government is continuously taking significant action to realize the dream of a vibrant Punjab.
He said that this national marathon, organized under the directives of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, aims to raise public awareness against drug abuse and inspire youth to take up sports. The widespread positive public response clearly demonstrates that the government's anti-drug efforts are having a positive impact on the ground.
Deputy Speaker Jai Krishna Singh Raudi, while flagging off the runners in the 21-kilometer and 10-kilometer categories, said that the youth's enthusiasm for the marathon is commendable. He added that by participating in such a major initiative in Mahilpur, the youth have pledged to spread the message against drug abuse far and wide.
He said that the Punjab government is making every effort to eradicate drug abuse and that several major actions have been taken against it in the last four years. He also said that Mahilpur was once known as a football hub, but the influence of drugs has increased there in recent times. Now, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, effective steps are being taken to eradicate drug abuse, so that the Punjab of the martyrs' dreams can be created.
He said that the message given by the people of “No to drugs and yes to sports” is highly commendable, through which new heights can be achieved in the field of sports by stopping the influence of drugs.
Dr. Gurpreet Kaur, wife of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, and Deputy Speaker Jai Krishna Singh Raudi inaugurated the 5-kilometer marathon. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Gurpreet Kaur said that the large number of girls participating was commendable.
Dr. Gurpreet Kaur stated that the Punjab government is committed to providing all possible support to eradicate drug abuse, and special initiatives are being taken in the field of sports. Congratulating the Deputy Speaker and his entire team for the successful event, she said such initiatives should continue to keep the younger generation away from drugs.
Kiranjit Singh Sandhu, nephew of Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh, who had specially attended the event, said that this is a highly commendable effort to keep youth healthy and drug-free. He added that Bhagat Singh's vision was to provide equality and a healthy life for all, for which he sacrificed his life for the future generations of the country.
He said that by eliminating social evils, we should contribute to realizing the dreams of the martyrs.

Prize money for the winners of the marathon:
The Deputy Speaker informed that 142 participants participated in 42 km, 350 in 21 km, 513 in 10 km and 2867 in 5 km.
In the 42 kilometer category of Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh National Marathon, the first prize for men and women category was Rs 1 lakh, second Rs 75 thousand, third Rs 40 thousand, fourth Rs 30 thousand, fifth Rs 20 thousand, sixth Rs 15 thousand, seventh Rs 10 thousand, eighth Rs 8 thousand, ninth Rs 6 thousand and tenth Rs 5 thousand per winner.
Similarly, in the 21 kilometer category, the first three winners in different age groups 19-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60 and above 60 years were awarded Rs 30 thousand, Rs 15 thousand and Rs 10 thousand respectively.
In the 10 kilometer category also, prizes of Rs 20 thousand, Rs 10 thousand and Rs 5 thousand were given respectively according to the same age group.
In the 5 kilometer category, the first prize for men and women was Rs 5,000, second Rs 3,000, third Rs 2,000, fourth Rs 1,500, fifth Rs 1,000, sixth Rs 900, seventh Rs 800, eighth Rs 700, ninth Rs 600 and tenth Rs 500 per winner.
For the disabled category, in 1 kilometer race, the first prize for men and women category was Rs 5 thousand, second prize was Rs 3 thousand, third prize was Rs 2 thousand, fourth prize was Rs 1500 and for fifth and sixth prize, Rs 1000 each was given to each winner.
On the occasion of the marathon, Olympian and Arjuna Awardee Swaran Singh, Asian Champion Charan Mohan, Asian Champion Hardeep Singh, Asian Champion Prabhjot Singh, Asian Champion Komal Preet Shukla, Asian Champion Anmol Kaur, Asian Games player Rajwinder Kaur, World Police Games Champion Veerpal Kaur, Commonwealth Champion Ravneet Kaur, World Police Games Champion Ramandeep Kaur, SAF Games' Navneet Kaur, Asian Champion Baljinder Singh, World Police Games Champion Parvinder Singh, Asian Champion Harpreet Singh, Randeep Kaur, World Police Games Champion Jagmeet Singh, World Cup Champion Priyanka Thakur, World Police Games Champion Gursharanpreet Kaur, World Police Games' Amanbhai, Sunny, Pradeep Kumar, Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain, SSP were present. Sandeep Kumar Malik, District Sports Officer Gurpreet Singh, Aam Aadmi Party leader Parminder Goldy, Prince Chaudhary, Charanjit Kaur Haveli, Kuljit Singh, Inderjit Singh, Navpreet Kaur, Jujhar Singh, Kamlesh, College Principal Dr. Parminder Singh, sports promoter Kulwant Singh Sangha, along with a large number of representatives of Panchayats and social organizations and students from various schools and colleges were present.