STATE TIMES NEWS
Jammu: Union minister Jitendra Singh on Monday expressed deep concern over increasing drug addiction among the youth in Katra and Reasi areas of Jammu and Kashmir and appealed to the local administration to take immediate action against it.
The minister raised the matter during review meetings with the local authorities and law enforcement agencies.
“There is a need to focus on social issues and to do work on social reform. We get information about such types of things, which have spread from Punjab to Jammu and now to this place (Katra). We get disappointed. Drug addiction has started in this holy land,” Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Katra, the base camp for the Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage.
He said it is a matter of concern for the entire society.
Expressing deep concern over increasing substance abuse, Singh appealed to parents and the local administration to shield children from the clutches of drugs, emphasizing that their potential should be harnessed to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious vision of transforming India into a developed nation by 2047. He also stressed the importance of preserving the sanctity of the holy town of Katra.
Singh said a strategic plan is in the works at both administrative and societal levels to combat the menace of drug addiction.
Identifying hotspots and fostering social awareness are key components in curbing this menace, he said.
The minister inaugurated a multimedia exhibition organised by the Central Bureau of Communication in Katra.
Singh emphasized that the region’s development remains a priority for the Narendra Modi government.
