Chandigarh, 13 October:- To make Haryana drug-free and protect the state's youth from the grip of drugs, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday chaired the first meeting of the ‘SANKALP’ Society and directed officials to formulate a comprehensive and coordinated strategy to safeguard the future of young people. He said that active participation from every section of society, along with the government, was essential in the fight against drugs to secure the future of the state's youth and effectively curb the drug problem.
The Chief Minister directed officials to work particularly on seven key commitments to make the state drug-free. These include making police station jurisdictions drug-free, ensuring districts free from drug traffickers, preventing the sale of intoxicating pills through chemist shops, securing family support against drug abuse, ensuring hospitals equipped to provide treatment, making schools supportive and well-equipped to raise awareness about the harmful effects of drugs, provide counselling to students and promote a safe educational environment, and providing better alternatives through sports and positive activities for young people.
The Chief Minister said the government's clear commitment was: “Drug-Free Haryana, Protecting the Future of Youth.” He directed officials to ensure that action against drug trafficking did not remain limited to the person selling drugs. Investigations must also establish where the drugs came from and which network was operating behind the supply. Strict surveillance should be maintained over drug supply sources and trafficking networks. With police support, effective investigations and appropriate legal action against drug traffickers must be ensured.
SANKALP Society to Report Monthly Results of the Anti-Drug Campaign, Accountability of Every Official to Be Fixed
The Chief Minister issued clear and strict directions that the SANKALP Society must present concrete results of its work every month. An assessment will also be conducted to determine how successful the efforts have been in reducing the availability of drugs, connecting young people with treatment and preventing relapse into drug use. He said accountability must be fixed at every level.
The Chief Minister said the government was making young people aware of the harmful effects of drugs through marathons, cyclothons and other public awareness activities. However, the campaign's objective was not limited to spreading awareness; it was also to ensure a lasting solution to the drug problem. The SANKALP Society would have to monitor how many young people had been referred to de-addiction centres, how many had completed their treatment and whether they remained free from drugs after treatment. For this, special attention would have to be given not only to treatment but also to continuous monitoring, rehabilitation and family support.
He said assistance must reach every person affected by the drug problem, and young people must be provided with positive opportunities, proper guidance and a supportive environment to stay away from drugs. For this purpose, the government had constituted the SANKALP Society. Under this initiative, better coordination would be established among the Home, Health, Education, Social Justice and Empowerment, Women and Child Development departments and other concerned departments to ensure effective action at every stage, from preventing drug abuse to treating and rehabilitating those affected.
The Chief Minister said Haryana's youth had immense potential, and providing them with the right direction, opportunities and support was the responsibility of both the government and society. Along with administrative efforts, families, teachers, panchayats, social organisations and public representatives would also have to play their part in this fight against drugs. The government's goal was to ensure that Haryana's youth became healthy, aware, self-reliant and dedicated to nation-building, while the state made tangible progress towards becoming a drug-free society.
Those present at the meeting included the Chief Minister's Chief Principal Secretary, Rajesh Khullar; Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Sudhir Rajpal; Additional Chief Secretary, Health Department, Dr. Sumita Misra; Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship, G. Anupama; Principal Secretary, School Education Department, Vijay Dahiya; Commissioner and Secretary, Women and Child Development Department, Shekhar Vidyarthi; Commissioner and Secretary, Urban Local Bodies Department, Ashok Meena; Director, Information, Public Relations and Languages Department, Dr. Aditya Dahiya; ADGP Sanjay Kumar; SANKALP Society CEO O.P. Singh; and officials from other departments.
