Reiterating the firm commitment of state government to wipe out the scourge of drugs from the state, Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria said on Friday 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 (Yudh Nasheyan Virudh) on February 25.

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He said 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 further said that the Special Task Force (STF) that 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 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.

For the safety and security of the people of Punjab, He said the state government has taken every possible administrative and legal measures to maintain law and order. 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.

He said medicines worth Rs. 600 crore, at the prevailing market rates, and diagnostics tests worth Rs 100 crore, have been provided to the patients at these clinics. 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 1,296 crore.

The Governor said that the state government is committed to providing 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.

He said 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.

The Governor said 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.

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.

The Governor said that in an endeavour 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.

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.

The Governor further said that the state government has successfully undertaken procurement operations for procurement of wheat and paddy under the 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 crore of Minimum Support Price was made directly in the farmers’ bank accounts.

The Governor said that it is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction that Punjab produces about 18 per cent wheat and 11 per cent rice and 4 per cent cotton of total production. He said that Punjab state has contributed about 24 per cent and 50.4 per cent of paddy and wheat respectively to the central grain reserve.

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 per cent 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.

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.

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 lakhs, that is, 90 per cent 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.