Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Wednesday underlined the need for taking up effective steps to check illicit drug trafficking, especially on the border areas of the State as youth were falling prey to drugs.
Addressing a public meeting at Jassur in Nurpur constituency of Kangra district, he also cautioned the chemists to abstain from selling un-prescribed drugs and directed the authorities concerned to keep close vigil on sale of such drugs and initiate strict legal action against the defaulters.
Referring to the development of Kangra district, he said 8,842 hand-pumps were installed in the district during last three years and 62 irrigation schemes were in progress including `205 crore Phinna Singh irrigation scheme at Nurpur and `180 crore Chonch Khud channelisation in Indora.
He said that as many as 66,450 persons were being provided social security pension in the district and during the last three years a sum of `43.55 crore had been spent on giving pensions to people in district. Singh said that new state of art Industrial Areas were being established at Kandrauri in Kangra and Pandoga in Una at an estimated cost of `95.77 crore and `88.05 crore respectively.