Vocational training and financial assistance will be provided for rehabilitation and employment of drug addicts- Dr. Balbir Singh
Health Minister reviews 'War Against Drugs' Campaign during De-addiction Centre visit
Faridkot, March 6, 2025: For the success of the campaign "War Against Drugs" launched by the Punjab Government under the able leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann for the complete eradication of drugs from the state, Punjab will be made drug free with the cooperation of all sections of the society and arrangements will also be made by the Punjab Government for the treatment and rehabilitation of the people suffering from drugs. This was disclosed by Punjab Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh, during his visit to the De-addiction and Rehabilitation Centre at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, as part of the campaign against war drugs, reviewed the efforts being made under the de-addiction campaign with the administrative officials, Health Department, medical college officials.
On this occasion, Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh said that the Punjab Government was making all possible efforts to bring the victims of drugs into the mainstream of the society by releasing them through de-addiction centers and besides this, vocational training would be imparted to the drug addicts for their rehabilitation and employment and the Punjab Government would also provide them loans and subsidies under various self-employment schemes will be done. He appealed to all sections of the society to make it a complete success by becoming a part of this campaign of the Punjab Government and being a part of the campaign against war drugs launched for the complete eradication of drugs. He appealed to the people that if anyone is caught in the clutches of drugs, then he should be motivated to get rid of drugs and brought to the de-addiction centers set up in the District and help him to start a new and happy life again.
The Health Minister further said that the campaign against drugs launched under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann in making the state drug free has started yielding fruitful results and this campaign will prove to be decisive in bringing the youth of Punjab out of the clutches of drugs and eliminating the phenomenon of drugs. He said that in the campaign launched by the Punjab Government to create a drug-free society, accountability of private drug de-addiction centers would also be fixed and the managements of these centers would have to keep all the records of drug addicts and also tell how many drug addicts have been released by them so far. He said that the Health Department would keep a close watch on the functioning of the private de-addiction centres and would also check them from time to time. He said that if any irregularity is found in this work, strict legal action will be taken against the operators of the concerned center.
He said that while a campaign has been launched to rid the people of drugs, strict action is also being taken against the drug peddlers. He said that the smuggler who is found selling drugs will be punished along with legal punishment as well as his property will be confiscated and exemplary punishment will be given as per the law.
On the occasion, MLA Gurdit Singh Sekhon lauded the campaign War against drugs launched by the Punjab government and said that this pro-people movement would be made successful in Faridkot district with the help of party workers and district residents at the ground level and social boycott of drug smugglers would also be done.
Earlier, the Health Minister attended the counselling, workshop being organized by the Punjab Nursing Council at Dashmesh Dental College. In his address on the occasion, he said that persons above 50 years of age would be screened in Punjab as people were not aware of the diseases. He said that the cooperation of nursing colleges, dental colleges, mohalla clinics would be taken for screening of about 1.5 crore people of Punjab.
Talking to reporters, Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh said that in the state, where Mohalla clinics are working successfully and so far more than 3 crore people have received health facilities from here. He said that to further expand the scope of health facilities, the Punjab government will start a mobile Mohalla clinic service in every village Mohalla, under which all the villages and street Mohallas of the state will be covered. In this mobile van, 40 tests will be done on the spot absolutely free of cost and 100 types of medicines will also be available for the patients. He said that the remaining posts of doctors and other specialists will be recruited soon and Punjab will be made the number one state in terms of health facilities.
On this occasion, Vice Chancellor Dr. Rajiv Sood, Deputy Commissioner Madam Poonamdeep Kaur, SSP Dr. Pragya Jain, Civil Surgeon Dr. Chandra Shekhar, MS Dr. Neetu Kukkar, Principal Medical College Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Chairman District Planning Board S. Sukhjit Singh Dhilwan, Chairman Improvement Trust Gagandeep Singh Dhaliwal,Chairman Market Committee Amandeep Signh Baba along with other administrative and police department officials were present.