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Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Vikramjit Singh Sahney on Sunday urged Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) to take strict action against the illegal agents who are already banned by the Government of India but are still functioning in the State.
 
“I am impressed with the action which the Punjab Police’s Special Task Force is taking by lodging prompt FIRs and arrests of the unscrupulous agents of the girls coming back from Oman under our initiative Mission Hope…The police themselves are contacting these girls and getting their statements in a very positive and comfortable environment without any delay or irregularities,” said Sahney.
 
Sahney revealed that the Union Ministry of External Affairs has issued a list of illegal recruiting agents of those whom they found fraudulent and have made a ban on them. The list has 170 recruiting agents from Punjab.
 
“When we got to know that few of these recruiting agents are still active and they are running their business again, my parliamentary office conducted a sting operation in which we reached out to these banned recruiting agents seeking employment opportunities abroad, most of them readily accepted to assist by taking their respective fees. This is a shocking revelation for me as it’s a serious crime that banned recruiting agents that are still functioning in the state of Punjab,” said Sahney.
 
Sahney also said that he has sent the entire list of illegal recruiting agents to the State DGP Gaurav Yadav. The list consists of information on all 170 banned recruiting agents with their respective addresses and phone numbers and have requested for strict action against these unscrupulous illegal recruiting agents.
 
“I am committed to bring home every son and daughter of Punjab who is stuck in foreign countries under the initiative ‘Mission Hope’, but it is equally important that the outflow of our innocent youth to foreign countries through these fraudulent agents should stop otherwise it will always remain a vicious cycle,” he added.

Himachal SLSA launches drug prevention awareness

Bilaspur: Himachal Pradesh State Legal Services Authority (HPSLSA) executive chairman Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan on Sunday urged the people to make continuous efforts to integrate drug addicts into society by adopting a cooperative attitude. Inaugurating a week-long drug prevention and awareness camp organized by the HPSLSA, Chauhan said: “We need to work diligently for drug de-addiction.”
 
A total of 105 people from Mahila Mandal, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, school children and local people participated in the camp.
 
Bamta Panchayat pradhan Bikram Thakur thanked the district legal services authority for organizing the awareness camp in his area.
 
Sub-Divisional Legal Services Authority Committee chairman Nitin Mital and District Legal Services Authority secretary Manisha Goyal talked about the ill effects of drug use and ways in which people can protect themselves, their children and family from drug abuse.