Urgent concern: Punjab drug threat

• Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria is focusing on a community-driven approach to combat the drug menace in the state.

• The state, once a leading state in industry, trade, and agriculture, is now lagging, with the prevalence of ‘Chitta’, a synthetic drug made from heroin, being a significant concern.

• The problem requires extensive support from the people, with political patronage and police involvement being crucial.

• Campaigns such as ‘Our village, drug-free’ and ‘Our institution, drug-free’ have been initiated in around 200 villages.

• The ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’ initiative launched in 2020 is seen as a positive initiative.

• The issue needs to be addressed across the entire country, not just one state.

• Kataria believes a financial package should be given to Punjab to boost the industrial sector and resolve other problems.