The Himachal Government is mulling to amend the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) to make it more stringent to curb the drug menace in the State.
The issue was discussed during the Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.
“During the meeting, it was felt that necessary amendments can be made in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act to make it more stringent. It was also stressed that a State-level special task force be formed to nab the drug peddlers throughout the state,” said an official spokesman.
He said the Cabinet also directed the Home Department to hold regular coordination meetings at the Director General level with the neighbouring States on the issue. It also directed to conduct joint police operations with neighbouring states to check inter-state drug flow.
While reviewing the steps being taken to control spread of drug menace in the State, the Cabinet directed that a special campaign would be launched to check drug menace by involving Education, Health, Police, Social Justice and Empowerment departments besides ensuring active participation of panchayats, mahila mandals, parents, school children and teachers etc, the spokesman said.
It also directed to promote alternative crops in the traditional cannabis growing areas so that people could be motivated to grow alternative crops, he added. The Cabinet was apprised that during the last six months, poppy was destroyed from 1,366 bighas as compared to only six bighas in 2017. Apart from this, 831 drug offenders were arrested and cases were registered against them during the period.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet also decided to convene monsoon session of Himachal Vidhan Sabha from August 23 to August 31. It will have seven sittings, the spokesman said.
The Cabinet also decided to allot Dugar Hydro Electric Project with capacity of 449 MW in favour of NPHC limited on BOOT (build, own, operate, transfer) basis for a period of 70 years. After completion of this period, the project will revert to Himachal Government with specified generation capacity, free of cost and free from all encumbrances.
It was also decided that Kargil Day will be celebrated all over the State in DCs, SDMs and BDOs offices. The officers should hold meetings in which ex-serviceman should be especially invited, visits should be made to war memorial and shaheed samaraks and oath should be administered, the spokesman said.
The Cabinet also decided to implement Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission in the state. Nearly five lakh selected families of Himachal would be provided health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh per annum.
At present, 175 hospitals have been registered for providing free treatment to these families, the he added.
The spokesman added in order to provide major succour to the farming community of the State, the Cabinet approved implementation of Mukhya Mantri Khet Sarankshan Yojna and Mukhya Green House Renovation Scheme in the State.
Under the scheme, 85 per cent grant will be provided to group of three or more farmers and 80 per cent grant to individual farmer for erecting solar fencing in their fields for protecting their crops from wild animals. Under Mukhya Mantri Green House Renovation Scheme, 70 per cent grant would be given to the farmers for replacing damaged poly sheets of their poly-houses, instead of the current 50 per cent, he said.