Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that untiring efforts of his government have led to drug addiction being eliminated and hit out at his detractors saying they are tarnishing the state government's image by 'labeling' hard working Punjabis as drug addicts.
Addressing a gathering during the state-level function to observe International Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking day here, he said that some forces inimical to the state had unleashed a malicious campaign to tarnish its image by 'labeling' the hard working Punjabis as drug addicts.
All the surveys and projections regarding much hyped drug addiction in the state were redundant, he said, adding that due to massive steps undertaken by the state government, the problem has been eliminated from the state.
"The problem of drugs in the state is totally under control and our efforts have fructified as no new case of drug addiction has come to fore now," added Badal.
Terming the menace of drugs as a "global problem", he said the fact that this day was observed across the world reflects that each and every country was facing this problem.
However, he said that as Punjab was on the transit route of drugs supplied from across the border, so it was fighting national war against this menace due to which it was being defamed.
Badal said that the seizure of drugs by the state agencies was the highest as they have cracked down on drug peddlers by cutting its supply line.
The Chief Minister urged Union Social Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot, who was present on the occasion, to impress upon the Union government for evolving a fool proof mechanism for checking drug peddling from across the borders of the country.
He said that efforts must be initiated by the Centre to tell states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and others to ban poppy husk in their states as its smuggling in the Punjab was creating havoc.
Badal also asked the Union government to ensure that the medicine used for manufacturing synthetic drugs in the country was also banned.
Listing out the initiatives taken by the state government to check the menace of drugs in Punjab, the Chief Minister said that The Punjab State Board for De-addiction and Rehabilitation under his chairmanship has been constituted to eliminate the curse of drugs.
He said that a special corpus fund has been created to ensure that there was no dearth of funds for tackling this grave menace.
Badal also said that a network of drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centers have been set up in the state to detoxify the drug addicts on one hand and impart skill training to them on the other, so that they could live their life with dignity and pride.
