CM urges youth to stay away from drugs on International Youth Day
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Sukhu appealed to young people to report drug traffickers to the police and assured that the state govt was committed to rehabilitating those trapped in the drug menace. Strict action was being taken against drug mafias, including the confiscation of their properties, he added. "The reforms we are implementing today will benefit the youth in the next five years when they will proudly say they belong to the most prosperous state in the country," he added.
The chief minister also flagged off a 'Red Run' and 'Bicycle Run' from his official residence earlier in the morning and honoured the winners.
To promote tourism, the state would invest Rs 3,000 crore in the coming years. The govt is offering loans at a 4% interest rate for home-stay construction. Presently, about 8,000 home-stays are operational in the state, and tourism activities have begun along the China border, he added.
Educational reforms have elevated Himachal's ranking from 21st to 5th in the country, said Sukhu.
He also started the second phase of the 'Car-Bin Distribution' drive, handing bins to 50 taxi drivers in Shimla. Across the state, 6,000 car-bins will be distributed, in addition to the 4,000 distributed earlier in the first phase.
HIV Cases On The Rise
The chief minister launched an HIV awareness campaign, scheduled to run from Aug 12 to Oct 12.
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The campaign will cover 6,000 villages and more than 1,500 educational institutions in the state. Sukhu also administered an oath against drug abuse and HIV.
Health minister Colonel Dhani Ram Shandil (retd) expressed concern over the 6,408 HIV cases reported in the state, of which 1,453 are among youth aged 15-30 years. He said the state govt is promoting HIV testing and treatment alongside running awareness programmes to curb the spread of the disease.
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