The Punjab government on Monday launched the second phase of its anti drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashe De Virudh’ with a renewed focus on door to door awareness and data collection across villages and towns. Under the drive, field staff of the Rural Development and Panchayat Department will visit households to gather accurate information on substance abuse and sensitise families about the harmful effects of drugs.
The government aims to map the real scale of drug abuse while strengthening public awareness at the grassroots. Recovered youth will also be taken along as a source of motivation so that they can share their experiences and encourage others to stay away from drugs. Field staff in Mohali have already been trained for this outreach programme.
Addressing the training programme in Mohali, Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tarunpreet Sondh said that in this phase, youths who were once addicted but have now returned to normal life after treatment will act as inspirational speakers. They will share their personal journeys, especially with young people, to motivate them to quit drugs. He said door to door awareness campaigns would be carried out in villages and urban wards with active participation of local residents to create wide social awareness against drug abuse.
The minister added that the training programme also aims at capacity building of field staff, empowering panchayats and strengthening resources to improve overall governance at the local level.
Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh claimed that nearly 20,000 drug dependent youths have so far been pulled out of addiction. He said several de addiction centres across the state are no longer receiving new cases, which reflects the success of the first phase of the campaign.
Encouraged by these results, the Bhagwant Singh Mann government has rolled out the second phase with the larger goal of making Punjab completely drug free. Dr Balbir Singh said this phase will focus not only on prevention but also on rehabilitation and social reintegration. Rehabilitated youths will be presented as role models in society to inspire others, while panchayats and departmental staff will play a crucial role at the village level in taking the campaign forward.