Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has directed the officials to take strict action against those involved in drug smuggling to curb the problem of drugs in the state so that a clear message is sent that drugs will not be tolerated at any cost in Haryana.

He said to end this problem, the public also needs to cooperate with the government, and for this the government has started an initiative under which any person giving information related to drug smuggling will be rewarded by the government and his details will also be kept confidential.

The Chief Minister was chairing a review meeting with senior officials, including the Home Department here on Tuesday. In the meeting, the State Action Plan for the prevention of drug abuse in the state was discussed in detail.

Saini said that along with taking action against drug smugglers, meaningful steps should also be taken towards bringing the drug addicts back to the mainstream society by giving them appropriate treatment. He said that facilities including counseling doctors and medicines should be increased in de-addiction centres.

He said that the Health Department, Education Department, Police Administration and social organizations will have to come together and make a joint strategy to curb the problem of drug abuse.

The Chief Minister said that the policemen who have done remarkable work for the elimination of drug abuse should be honored and encouraged by giving police medals, so that other cops can also take inspiration. While giving instructions, he said that a cell should be formed under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, which will investigate false complaints in such cases.

Chief Minister Saini said that the people should be made aware of the ill-effects of drugs at the village level and motivated to cooperate with the government. The Chief Minister called upon the panchayats to take a pledge to make their villages drug free.

Panchayats declaring villages as drug free will also be given incentives by the government. He said that to stop drug trafficking, the police and Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau should work together in coordination, so that the problem of drug addiction can be eradicated from its roots.

The Chief Minister called upon the youth to stay away from evils like drugs and also work to make people around them aware about this menace.

It was informed in the meeting that cases are being registered under the NDPS Act by the Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau and strict action is being taken. Also, anti-drug awareness programmes are being organized under the Haryana Uday initiative. Apart from this, through the state’s Prahari initiative, continuous action is being taken against persons selling drugs.

Hawk software is being used by Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau for profiling of accused drug smugglers. This is helping a lot in breaking the chain of drug smuggling.