Bhagwant Mann government’s e-rickshaw campaign reached 3,440 villages, the ‘war against drugs’ movement got further strength at the grassroots level in Punjab.

Chandigarh: In Punjab, the major drug de-addiction initiative of the Bhagwant Mann government, ‘War on Drugs’, is getting a major boost through specially appointed e-rickshaws at the village level. These e-rickshaws are being operated in 86 assembly constituencies of Punjab and are part of a pilot project to create anti-drug awareness among the people.

Under this campaign, one assembly constituency from each of the 23 districts of the state has been selected for the pilot project. An e-rickshaw, covering 40 villages, has been operated in these areas to spread awareness against drugs as well as to gather confidential information about drug smugglers and people in need of de-addiction treatment. So far, this e-rickshaw initiative has reached 3,440 villages across the state, which is about one-third of the total villages of Punjab.

E-rickshaws are spreading the message of anti-drug awareness even to those people who are not easy to reach normally. These e-rickshaws are going from village to village to make people aware about the harmful effects of drugs and rehabilitation measures.

This initiative is part of the larger plan of the Bhagwant Mann government to involve the local people in the fight against drugs. Village Defense Committees (VDCs) formed at the village level are playing an important role in monitoring the effectiveness of this campaign and giving feedback to the government.

According to the feedback received from many districts, after the deployment of e-rickshaws, Village Defense Committee (VDC) members have given positive reactions. According to committee members, people’s participation in awareness programs has increased, more people are attending village level meetings and communication between villagers and local officials on drug-related issues has improved.

Round of review meetings continues for the month of June

This feedback is being discussed extensively in the meetings being organized during the month of June. As per the prescribed review system, assembly level meetings are being organized in the first week of June, in which the concerned MLA, SDM, DSP, SHO, Village Defense Committee (VDC) convener and working president are attending. Feedback is being taken from working presidents and VDC coordinators.

After this, VDC meetings will be organized in the second week of June, in which Block Coordinator, VDC Convener, VDC Executive Head and VDC members will participate. In these meetings, the action taken on the complaints received, evaluation of new complaints and the overall progress of the ‘War on Drugs’ campaign at the village level will be reviewed.

A meeting will be held under the leadership of ministers and civil and police administration in the third week of June, in which the status of the complaints registered will be reviewed and feedback will be taken from the assembly and block coordinators. In the last week, Honorable Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will review the progress of the ‘War Against Drugs’ campaign, take stock of the status of pending complaints and give information about the future action plan.

This streamlined review process reflects the Government’s commitment to accountability and continuous monitoring of anti-drug initiatives. These meetings are being organized with the aim of obtaining feedback from VDC Convenors, Executive Heads, Block Coordinators and representatives and to evaluate the effectiveness of various initiatives taken under the campaign.

Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh said, “The e-Rickshaw campaign is another important milestone in the achievements of the Government. Apart from collecting information from the people in a secure and confidential manner, these e-Rickshaws are helping in establishing dialogue on the social and economic impacts of drugs and measures to get rid of them. Local residents have shown keen interest in the outreach programs run through these mobile units, thereby turning the Government’s ‘War on Drugs’ initiative into a mass movement. Is.”

Bhagwant Mann Sarkar believes that the fight against drugs cannot be won through action alone, but active participation of the society is also necessary.

Awareness, public participation and accountability at the local level are the main features of this programme. For this reason, the e-rickshaw initiative is being considered an effective step in the fight against drugs.