Badal exhorts people to help eliminate drug menace

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today exhorted the common people, especially youths, to play a proactive role to eradicate the menace of drugs from the state.
Speaking at a 'Sangat Darshan' programme in the Talwandi Sabo Assembly segment here, Badal said the drug menace was one of the biggest challenges confronted by the state these days.
He said though the state government had already declared a war against drugs, it could achieve the desired goal only through active support and cooperation of the public.
Badal said youths were the biggest asset of the state and the need of the hour was to channelise their unbounded energy into constructive works. Equating drug addiction with a sort of disease, the Chief Minister said it was very easy to overcome it if one has strong will.

He said his government has initiated a massive drug de-addiction drive by opening the de-addiction centres across Punjab, where addicted youths were given free medicines.
Badal impressed upon the parents of addicted youths to come forward for their treatment so that desirable results of the drive could be achieved. "We are committed to tackle the grave problem of drugs in the state for which the active support of every strata of society is required," he said.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister categorically said that the state government would not allow forfeiting of land of any farmer, who has failed to repay bank loans. He said that this matter would be resolved very soon.

Badal also urged the people not to get swayed by politics of "hollow slogans" being persuaded by some political parties. He said some people were misleading the public by unleashing negative propaganda against the state government but the days of such politics were numbered.
Slamming the Congress, Badal said successive governments led by the party at the Centre had meted out step-motherly treatment towards Punjab, and added the era of discrimination has ended with its rout in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections.