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Hindustan Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Don't make singers promoting drugs role models: Punjab CM
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday urged youngsters to reject singers who glorify drugs and instead encouraged them to look up to sport icons, such as the legendary athlete Milkha Singh and cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur, as role models. Speaking at the Walk for Drug-Free Chandigarh event along with his Haryana counterpart Nayab Singh Saini and Punjab and Haryana governors Gulab Chand Kataria and Bandaru Dattatraya, respectively, Mann said: 'Today, I can see a revolution against drugs in Chandigarh. Don't make singers who sing songs promoting drugs your role model. Let your ideal be Milkha Singh or Harmanpreet Singh. People of Punjab are famous for joining the army, for wrestling, for kabaddi, and for bhangra. But our fame has faded. If the stone in a ring gets faded, the value of the ring diminishes. If Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh shine, the whole country will shine.' He highlighted his government's 'Yudh Nasheyan Virudh (War Against Drugs)', a campaign launched on February 28 that aims to rid Punjab of the drug problem by targeting smugglers and peddlers. Tried to take everyone along: Kataria Earlier, Kataria led the Walk for Drug-Free Chandigarh along with Haryana CM Saini. The objective of the event was to prevent youngsters from falling prey to drug addiction. The march began from the Punjab Raj Bhavan in Sector 6 and ended at Tiranga Park in Sector 17 after a stop at the UT Secretariat. Kataria said efforts are underway to fight drug addiction and he wanted to contribute to them. He said several Olympic-level players had joined the walk for drug-free Chandigarh campaign. 'I have tried to take everyone along,' said the governor, who had undertaken a six-day padyatra on April 3 from the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor in Dera Baba Nanak town of Gurdaspur district. That march culminated at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on April 8. He said the border state of Punjab was vulnerable as neighbouring Pakistan was fighting a proxy war by sending drugs to create problems in India. During the march, he urged citizens to make the campaign against drugs a people's movement. Meanwhile, the Punjab government also launched an anti-drug awareness campaign, 'Nasha Mukti Yatra', on May 2, that will cover every village and ward of the state in May and June. Haryana CM seeks better coordination 'So many youngsters are going towards the direction of drugs, there are challenges in front of us, including social media. We need to stay away from this in order to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Viksit Bharat vision, which is why this event has been organised in Chandigarh,' Saini told reporters at the event. He emphasised the importance of coordination between the states and enforcement agencies to address the growing drug menace. 'The people of Haryana, Chandigarh, and Punjab are doing commendable work in this direction. If the police take action against illegal drug trafficking in any particular state, the drug dealers start moving towards the neighbouring states. This problem can be stopped if various states and enforcement agencies work together in coordination. I believe the Haryana, Punjab, and Chandigarh administrations need to coordinate better for this. I have full faith that together we will eradicate this addiction from its roots,' Saini added. (With ANI inputs)
Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Walk the talk' against drug menace: In Punjab, Governor Kataria, Mann govt announce foot marches
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab and Governor Gulab Chand Kataria are set to organise their respective foot marches to raise awareness against drug abuse. Governor Kataria Tuesday sent invites to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, his Haryana counterpart Nayab Singh Saini and Cabinet ministers of both states for undertaking a walk against drugs in Chandigarh on May 3. Meanwhile, the Punjab government announced its itinerary for an anti-drug awareness campaign, 'Nasha Mukti Yatra', scheduled to begin on May 2, covering every village and ward of the state in May and June. It is not the first time that Kataria and the government have undertaken foot marches to create awareness against drugs. Kataria undertook a foot march in Gurdaspur and Amritsar from April 3 to 8 against the drug menace. On April 3 itself, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal flagged off a similar march in Ludhiana. Kataria and Chief Minister Mann share a cordial relationship, in contrast to the dynamic between the previous Governor, Banwari Lal Purohit, and Mann, who often clashed. However, despite being invited to the Governor's foot march in April, Mann chose not to attend. It remains to be seen if Mann will participate in the Governor's march on May 3. It will begin at Raj Bhawan, where participants will pay their respects at the gurdwara in Sector 8, Chandigarh. The event will end at Tiranga Park after a stop at the UT Secretariat. The Punjab government's march will begin in Amritsar on May 2. Sources said the AAP is planning to ensure Kejriwal's participation on May 2. In that case, CM Mann will also visit Amritsar. 'It is not yet clear whether Kejriwal and Mann will visit Amritsar. Their plan is yet to be finalised,' said a government source. The government has directed officials to involve village defence committees (VDCs) to organise district-wise meetings across the state from May 2 to 4 to serve as the official launch platform for the 'Nasha Mukti Yatra' campaign. Besides members of VDCs, village sarpanches, civil and police administration officers will also attend these meetings. CM Mann Tuesday directed deputy commissioners and senior superintendents of police to form VDCs in villages where these do not exist and invite them to these meetings. Similarly, ward defence committees (WDCs) will also be formed in each ward in municipal areas, and they will be invited to these meetings. Each district-level meeting will be chaired by a Cabinet minister to mobilise village-level leadership for community vigilance, strengthening coordination between VDCs/WDCs and the district administration to reinforce a collective stand against drugs at the village level, said a source. After these meetings, the second phase of 'Nasha Mukti Yatra' will be launched on May 7. In this yatra, a meeting will be held with all the people in each village/ward. The AAP government in Punjab has initiated a campaign against drugs in the state after it lost the Assembly elections in Delhi. Under the campaign, titled 'Yudh Nasheyan Virudh', the government has been on a spree of arresting drug peddlers and bulldozing their properties in the state. Gaurav Yadav, the Director General of Police, said two days ago that the drug menace, which has plagued successive governments in Punjab for over a decade, will end by May 31. Previous governments also launched several similar campaigns, but they had little success.
