Latest News | Drug-free India Only Possible with Society's Participation: Union Minister Virendra Kumar
Get latest articles and stories on Latest News at LatestLY. Union Minister Virendra Kumar on Tuesday said society's complete participation is a must for the success of the Centre's Drug-Free India campaign.
Dehradun, Apr 8 (PTI) Union Minister Virendra Kumar on Tuesday said society's complete participation is a must for the success of the Centre's Drug-Free India campaign.
The Centre is taking strict steps under the campaign, but it cannot achieve its goal without the society playing its role, Kumar said at an interaction with the media after the conclusion of a two-day Chintan Shivir of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
"On August 15, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a call for the Drug-Free India campaign from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Under the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Home Department is taking strict action against the people involved in the drug trade, with record seizures being made of narcotics like cocaine, heroin, and sniffing drugs," he said in reply to a question at the press conference.
Earlier, narcotics were deposited after being seized, but now they are destroyed, he said, adding, "This campaign will not achieve its goal only by the efforts of the central or state governments."
He said the government's efforts are supplemented by such outfits as Sri Sri Sant Nirankari Mission, Prajapita Brahmakumari Samaj, Gayatri Parivar, and ISKCON.
On irregularities in the distribution of scholarships, the minister said that the idea behind transferring the money directly to the student's account is to ensure that it reaches the right person and without delay.
He said that villages with a population of 500 or more, where 40 per cent of the population is from the Scheduled Castes, are being declared Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gaon.
He said that about 29,000 such villages have been identified, out of which 11,076 have been declared as Adarsh Gaon. Kumar said ministers and officials from across the country participated in the Shivir and shared their suggestions about public welfare.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)