GOVERNOR REITERATES COMMITMENT TO WIPE OUT CURSE OF DRUGS FROM STATE
GOVERNOR REITERATES COMMITMENT TO WIPE OUT CURSE OF DRUGS FROM STATE
SAYS YUDH NASHEYAN VIRUDH IS LAYING SPECIAL FOCUS ON BREAKING THE ECONOMIC CHAIN IN THE ENTIRE NEXUS
LISTS SEVERAL PATH BREAKING INITIATIVES TAKEN BY STATE GOVERNMENT IN LARGER PUBLIC INTEREST
SAYS STATE GOVERNMENT SENSITIVE TO CAUSE OF THE FARMERS
Chandigarh, March 21:
Reiterating the firm commitment of state government to wipe out scourge of drugs from the state, the Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Friday said that under the ongoing crusade against drugs in form of Yudh Nasheyan Virudh, a special focus has been to break the economic chain in the entire nexus.
In his address during the eight session of 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the Governor said that state Government has intensified its fight against drug trafficking and organized crime through strategic initiatives like extremely resolute and focussed launch of War against Drugs (Youdh Nasheyan Virudh) on February 25. He said that a high powered, Cabinet sub-committee under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has been constituted to make this campaign a grand success. Gulab Chand Kataria said that several properties of the drug traffickers have been demolished to send the message of firm conviction of the state to completely eliminate the problem of drugs from the state of Punjab.
The Governor said that the Special Task Force (STF) which has been restructured and strengthened as the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) , was established to enforce drug laws, rehabilitate victims and prevent substance abuse. He said that to educate people, 33,079 public awareness meetings were held statewide, and 19,523 Village Defence Committees (VDCs) were formed in just four months. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the Special Intelligence and Technical Unit has also been set up to analyze drug-related data, communications, and financial transactions, significantly boosting ANTF’s effectiveness.
The Governor said that the Anti Gangster Task Force and field units have made remarkable progress in combating organized crime, arresting 1,588 criminals, neutralizing 13 gangsters, busting 571 criminal modules, and recovering 1,477 weapons and 327 vehicles used in crimes. He said that for the safety and security of the people of Punjab, the state Government has taken every possible administrative and legal measures to maintain law and order in the State. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the state Government has made significant strides in counter-intelligence, cybercrime prevention, and modernization adding that from January 1 to November 28, 2024, the Punjab Police has busted nine terror modules, leading to 59 arrests and the recovery of weapons.
The Governor said that Punjab State Cyber Crime Division continues to combat cyber threats which include establishing 28 cyber police stations in Punjab, 24×7 social media monitoring, and initiatives like the Cyber Mittar chatbot. Highlighting another achievement, he said that the state Government has launched several groundbreaking schemes in the important sectors of Health and Education. Gulab Chand Kataria said that 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics are operational in the State and a total 2.98 crore patients have availed the health services in these clinics and more than 90 lakh diagnostic lab tests have been conducted so far.
The Governor said that Medicines worth Rs. 600 crores at the prevailing market rates and diagnostics tests worth Rs. 100 crores have been provided to the patients at these clinics. He said that these clinics have contributed in reducing the out of pocket expenditure on health care of the people of State by a whopping amount of Rs. 1296 crore. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the state Government is committed to provide free medicines to all the patients in Government Hospitals and Rs. 200 crore are expected to be spent over purchasing of medicines and consumables in the next financial year 2025-26.
The Governor said that the state Government is committed to provide X-rays and Ultrasound facility in all the District, Sub-Divisional Hospitals and Community Health Centres and Ultrasound facility at very reasonable rates. He said that 554 private X-ray and Ultrasound centres have also been empanelled to provide these services to the patients at the same reasonable prices. Gulab Chand Kataria said that additional cost on this account is being borne by the State Government and in the next 12 months, approximate benefit to be provided to the patients of Punjab will be Rs. 53 Crores on account of these services.
The Governor said that a comprehensive plan has been made for the improvement of buildings of all the District Hospitals over the next three years. He said that Rs. 150 crores have been spent over civil works and installing fire fighting systems in 16 Government Hospitals during the year 2024-25. Gulab Chand Kataria said that to save the life and limb of accidental victims, the state government has launched Farishtey Scheme on January 25, 2024 to lower down the mortality and morbidity rate due to injuries occurring during roadside accidents.
The Governor said that till date 487 (178 public and 309 private) hospitals have been empanelled under this scheme adding that since the inception of the scheme, till February, 2025 a total of 404 beneficiaries have been registered on portal and have taken treatment under this scheme in empanelled hospitals, with pre-authorization amount of Rs. 42.55 lakhs. He said that currently the state has 12 government and private Medical Colleges with the total 1700 MBBS seats in the state adding that the state Government is in process of establishing five new medical colleges at Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Sangrur, SBS Nagar and Malerkotla. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the Government has launched the ‘‘CM di Yogashala’’ project to encourage regular yoga practices, promoting physical and mental wellbeing, reducing stress, and improving the overall health of its citizens.
The Governor said that Currently, 3,200 yoga classes are conducted daily across various cities in all districts of Punjab, benefiting approximately 1,00,000 participants each day. He said that Under “Punjab Sikhya Kranti” the state government is committed to provide well managed, safe and secured campuses in Government schools. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the state government has appointed 2042 campus Managers and 1378 security Guards through PESCO.
The Governor said that in addition to this, the state government has started a subsidized transport facility with 230 buses operating in Schools of Eminence and Girls schools. He said that the state government is committed to provide Hi-tech Education in Government schools by establishing 1970 ICT labs, 7702 smart class rooms and 100 Mbps speed internet connection in 19120 schools. Gulab Chand Kataria said that in order to empower students with mindset skills and resources to dream big, the state Government has started a Business Blaster Scheme in senior secondary schools. Under this scheme 51,565 students forming 6700 teams were selected and given Rs 10.32 crores seed money to convert their business ideas into real life businesses.
The Governor said that in an endeavor to provide state of the art infrastructure in Government schools, the state government has spent Rs. 568.43 Crores over construction of Additional class rooms, Laboratories, libraries, toilets and other facilities. He said that the state government has ensured to provide canal water to farmers, particularly those situated at the tail ends of Canals. Gulab Chand Kataria said that as a part of this effort the state Government has executed 79 projects for Rehabilitation and lining of canals in the current FY 2024-25.
The Governor said that in addition to this a total of 77 canals abandoned or non-functional for the past 30 to 40 years have also been restored with a length of around 545 kms. Apart from this, he said that a total of about 16000 water courses which were lying abandoned from the last 30-40 years of around 4200 kms length have been restored. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the state Government has been able to utilize more than 12% of additional water during the last Kharif season in comparison to that of the last five years.
The Governor further said that the state government has successfully undertaken procurement operations for procurement of Wheat and Paddy under Central Pool. He said that 121.31 Lakh Tons of Wheat and 173.58 Lakh Tons of Paddy were purchased during Rabi and Kharif seasons respectively and a payment of Rs. 68,630 crores of Minimum Support Price was made directly in the farmers’ bank accounts. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the State has made a whopping contribution of 45% wheat to the Central pool during 2024-25.
The Governor said that the state Government has procured 14,400 e-PoS kits and Electronic Weighing scales and equipped each Fair Price Shop with a dedicated e-PoS kit and Electronic Weighing Scale to ensure transparency and efficiency in distribution of wheat under National Food Security Act. He said that Agriculture remains one of the most important parts of the economy of Punjab and during India’s food crisis, the state of Punjab and its hard working farmers played a leading role in bringing about the Green Revolution. Gulab Chand Kataria said that Punjabi farmers have continuously contributed to maintaining India’s food security for the past five decades.
The Governor said that it is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction that Punjab produces about 18% wheat and 11% rice and 4% cotton of total production. He said that Punjab State has contributed about 24% and 50.4% of paddy and wheat respectively to the central grain reserve. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the state Government has provided financial assistance at the rate of Rs. 1500/- per acre to the farmers for promotion of Direct Seeding of Rice.
The Governor said that during Kharif 2024, total 2.53 lakh acres area cultivated under DSR as compared to 1.70 lakh acres during kharif 2023 which is 48.8% more than the last year. He said that in order to enable farmers to export Basmati of international standard, the Punjab government has banned 10 agricultural pesticides used on Basmati. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the Department of Agriculture has started a pilot project at block Chougawan, District Amritsar to produce pesticide residue free basmati.
The Governor said that to promote Crop Diversification and increase the area under maize, the state Government has provided subsidy to hybrid varieties of maize seeds certified and recommended by PAU, Ludhiana @ Rs. 100 per kg of total amount Rs. 2.30 crore. Apart from this, he said that maize exhibitions have also been set up in an area of 3500 hectares in the state adding that the maize seed and other inputs like fertilizers, pesticides and others will be given as assistance to the farmers at the rate of Rs. 6000/- per hectare. Gulab Chand Kataria said that the Punjab government had constituted a 11 member committee to prepare an agricultural policy based on the environment, culture and crops of Punjab, which will help sustainable agriculture, protect natural resources and increase the income of farmers adding that the draft Agriculture policy has been circulated to all the stakeholders, Farmers/Labour.
The Governor said that being sensitive to the cause of farmers, the state Government has been proactive in clearing the past dues as well as ensuring timely payment to the sugar cane growers, to promote crop diversification in Punjab. Reiterating commitment for reliable and affordable power across all sectors in Punjab, he said that the state government is dedicated to enhancing power infrastructure and implementing schemes that benefit every citizen. Gulab Chand Kataria said that Punjab has met its all time highest ever peak demand of 16,058 Megawatts on 29.06.2024 adding that state Government has ensured more than eight hours power supply to agriculture consumers during paddy season without imposing any power cut on Domestic, Commercial, Industrial and other consumers, which led to bumper Paddy crop.
The Governor said that the Government has implemented a free electricity scheme of 300 units monthly to domestic consumers since July 2022, which has benefited around 70 Lacs i.e. 90% of households, receiving zero bills in a billing cycle. Continuing with the endeavour of providing government jobs on merit to deserving candidates, he said that the state Government has ensured fairness in recruitment while also ensuring efficiency. Gulab Chand Kataria said that more than 51,000 candidates have been issued appointment letters under regular recruitment by various departments of Government of Punjab since 2022.
The Governor said that a trend is now being observed of reverse brain drain wherein many able youth of Punjab who were earlier opting to go abroad are now joining the service of Government of Punjab. He also highlighted several other initiatives taken by the state government in the field of Industry, Sports, infrastructure development, transport, law and order, anti-corruption, NOC for plots and others. Gulab Chand Kataria said that state government believes in healthy co-operation and moving together to take Punjab to new heights in its quest for justice to everyone and achieving a knowledge society which will be a model for all adding he expressed hope that all will walk together step-by-step to re-establish ‘Prosperous Punjab.
———-