Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat stressed on a joint strategy involving several States to effectively take on the drug abuse. He was addressing a conference “Joint Strategy Against Drugs” organised in Chandigarh on Monday.
Organised by Haryana Government, the conference was also attended by the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar aside from senior officers of Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
Speaking on the occasion, Rawat said that Uttarakhand Government is fully committed to extending every possible support in the fight against the substance abuse. Pitching for interstate cooperation, he said that since the problem of drugs is not confined to just one or two States, a joint strategy is needed to combat it. He further said that being neighbours, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh should work together and the police forces in the respective States should also work in tandem on the issue.
laying emphasis on strengthening the intelligence network, CM opined that information and data sharing are critical in making the fight against drugs a success.
Expressing concern over the youth getting ensnared in the in contraband addiction, he said that a fool-proof plan has to be formulated and implemented to combat it. Rawat added that special focus has to be kept on educational institutions and the teachers, guardians and voluntary organisations should be taken along in the all-out fight against the menace.
He said that it should not be looked upon as a mere a legal problem. “It is a social problem as well and so creating mass awareness is very important in taking on it,” he said.
The CMs of Punjab and Haryana also spoke on the occasion and suggested ways to fight the menace of drugs. In the conference detailed discussions were held to formulate a joint strategy to fight substance abuse.