AMRITSAR: Ruling BJP-SAD government maintains its commitment to deal with drug menace in the region and said only a mere 1.8 per cent of the state population indulges in the addiction. Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani said a survey conducted in 10 districts of Punjab revealed that only 1.8 per cent of the population is addicted to drugs.
"We had conducted a survey in ten districts of Punjab. It shows that 1.8 per cent of the population is addicted to drugs; we didn't conduct the survey in all the 22 districts of the state," Jyani said. "The survey has pointed out that the addiction of drug takes place mainly because of the peer group and because of the youth who make it a way of business." Present at a function on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at the Swami Vivekananda Drug De-addiction centre, the minister said the state government was committed to make the region free from drug addiction.
"The government is working for getting rid of the drug menace in the state. We have taken several initiative of making Punjab a drug-free state." The drug problem in the north was recently taken up by film 'Udta Punjab', which became a topic of debate after the Censor Board ordered massive cuts in the film.
