Survey to ascertain extent of drug addiction soon : Sukhbir

Patiala, In what may be termed as a step taken too late, the state government has finally decided to conduct a statewide survey to monitor the extent of drug problem in the state. The Indian Council for Medical Research, New Delhi, has given the go-ahead for a survey that would take more than two years. The state government has sanctioned Rs 2 crore for it.Around two years ago, chairperson of the Indian Youth Congress Rahul Gandhi said 70 per cent of the Punjabi youths were drug addicts. The state government has been refuting Gandhi’s statement so far. This is the first time it has formally announced to get a survey conducted to prove the allegation “false”.Vowing to free the state from the scourge of drug addiction, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said it was unfortunate that some national leaders had branded Punjabis as drug addicts. Sukhbir was at Punjabi University to address the first conclave of the “Series on public policy conclave on punjab of today and tomorrow” to sensitise opinion-makers about the results delivered by the Punjab Government on this front.“The fact is that no survey has been done on this issue till date. The study quoted by the Congress leader said 70 per cent of the Punjabi youths were drug addicts. As cases of only 1,000 drug addicts were considered for that survey, it certainly does not reflect the true picture. Therefore, we have decided to hold this survey to put an end to all speculations once and for all,” he added.He said dope test would be made mandatory for all future recruitments in the state. He announced a reward of Rs 10,000 for any credible information on 181 regarding drug pushers.The Deputy CM gave a 92-minute presentation about achievements of Punjab over the past few years. He appealed to the political parties to rise above petty interests and stop denigrating the image of Punjab and Punjabis.