Punjab heading towards country's first drug free state: Harpal Singh Cheema - Punjabi News

Published on: 22 Apr 2025 at 11:28 AM

Punjab heading towards country’s first drug free state: Harpal Singh Cheema

Published by: The fact news

The Fact News Service

Chandigarh/Hoshiarpur, April 22

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday asserted that Punjab would be a drug free state in coming time as the State Government was making all out efforts to eradicate the menace at grassroots level under its ongoing ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ campaign and ‘zero tolerance’ policy against peddlers.

While taking stock of the action being taken to contain this social menace as well as enforcement against drug peddlers, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema expressed satisfaction over the high conviction rate in the cases of drugs i.e. 91 percent in the district saying the days are not far when Punjab will be free from the drug abuse. The Minister also urged the officials of line departments and residents of district to work in unified manner for wiping out drugs completely. “We can overcome this social problem with joint efforts and efficacious enforcement as the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led Punjab Government has adopted ‘zero tolerance’ against drugs so as to make the state drug free” he added.

Addressing the media here after a crucial meeting with the officials of civil and police administration, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema highlighted the concrete steps taken under the war on drugs campaign. “With a commendable 91% conviction rate in drug-related cases, Hoshiarpur district has spearheaded efforts against drug peddlers, leading to 179 FIRs with 271 arrests so far”, said Cheema.

Referring to public participation, Finance Minister said that this was an instrumental aspect in this fight and 17 FIRs registered based on information provided by citizens under the ‘Safe Punjab Campaign’ initiated by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. The overwhelming support from the people has ensured that every piece of actionable intelligence is acted upon swiftly, he added.

Disclosing further, Finance Minister said that the Yudh Nashean Virudh campaign has gained significant momentum in the district, with 527 SAMPARK meetings conducted and 970 defence committees formed thus reinforcing the grassroots commitment to eliminating drugs. In an unprecedented show of solidarity, 442 village panchayats have passed resolutions backing this anti-drug initiative, said the minister adding that the district administration had already identified 18 key hotspots and strengthened surveillance to curb interstate drug trade, particularly from Himachal Pradesh. A joint operation with Himachal Police has also been launched, reinforcing cross-border coordination to dismantle drug networks, said Cheema.

Emphasizing that the drugs infiltrated Punjab like a flood during the Akali-BJP rule and no concrete action was taken later during Captain Amarinder Singh’s tenure, the Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government is waging a battle against drugs for the past three years, which brought tangible results and forced the peddlers operating in Punjab either to give up this illicit trade or left the state. He said that the current state government is unwavering in its commitment to reclaim Punjab’s future from the clutches of narcotics, ensuring a safer and healthier tomorrow for the people.

Earlier Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain and SSP Sandeep Kumar Malik briefed the Minister about the measures being taken in the district under the ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ besides steps for de-addiction and rehabilitation across the district. Member Parliament Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal also called upon officials to further accelerate the campaign so as to the task of drug free Punjab could be achieved in the right earnest.

Prominent amongst those present on the occasion MLA Bram Shanker Jimpa, MLA Karambir Singh Ghuman, Mayor Surinder Kumar, BACKFINCO Chairman Sandeep Saini, Senior Deputy Mayor Praveen Saini, Deputy Mayor Ranjeet Chaudhary, District Planning Committee Chairperson Karamjit Kaur, Improvement Trust Chairman Gurvinder Singh Pabla and senior officials of line departments.