Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday appealed to the people of Gujarat to take the lead in making the state drug-free by December 2028, a year before the national target of 31 December 2029, according to reports.
Shah said people can provide tip-offs about any illegal sale of drugs anywhere in the state on a toll-free number 1033 from 1 December, and he said the identity of the caller will be kept confidential. He also said the government will act on the tip-offs and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will put drug peddlers behind bars. He assured callers that their names will not be disclosed and will be kept strictly confidential, and he said the strictest possible action will be taken against those involved in the drug trade.
"This addiction hollows out our youths, our future generation. It ruins our future. It weakens the bodies and minds of young people while diluting their ability to think, listen, remain attentive and maintain concentration," Shah said, according to the report. He added that money from the drug trade is used to spread terrorism in the country, and he said that while the country has succeeded in making itself free from Naxalism, the work should not stop there.
A state target one year before the national target
Shah said the country must work towards creating a drug-free India by 31 December 2029, and he appealed to the people of Gujarat to make the state drug-free by December 2028, one year before the national target. "I come from Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is from Gujarat. Gujarat does not need to wait till 2029. We have to take the responsibility of making Gujarat Drug Free by December 2028," he said, according to the report.
The appeal followed a high-level meeting convened on Saturday, in which the most important issue discussed was to make Gujarat drug free, according to the report. The meeting was held in Ahmedabad on Kali Chaudash, the Saturday before Diwali. Shah said arrangements have begun for rehabilitation, and he said centres will be established to help young people break free from addiction. He said there is no need to feel ashamed about seeking treatment, and he compared it to going to a clinic for malaria or tuberculosis. He said the identity of any young person seeking help will not be disclosed publicly.
Shah sought a combined effort to make the country drug free, and he said the Government of India and the government of Gujarat cannot fight this battle alone. He said it is the responsibility of every teacher to observe changes in a student's behaviour, such as red eyes, dozing off in class, or an inability to focus, and to ensure the student undergoes testing and to communicate with their parents. He said parents also have a responsibility to keep a close watch on their adolescent children, and he said citizens also bear a responsibility to report drug use or sales.
Projects worth over Rs 1,024 crore in Gandhinagar
Earlier in the day, Shah inaugurated a flyover worth Rs 464 crore on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway, according to the report. At the Ranip meeting, he inaugurated or laid the foundation stone of 30 projects worth over Rs 1,024 crore in his Gandhinagar constituency. He also appealed to people to give tip-offs about the sale of any packet of drugs, and he assured them that arrangements have been made to track down the kingpins of the trade and send them behind bars.
Shah also inaugurated or laid foundation stones for around 25 projects in Ahmedabad city worth over Rs 1,400 crore. Those projects included a 4-km long six-lane elevated corridor on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway between ISKCON and Sanand, which is expected to ease traffic on the busy road that leads to Gandhinagar. The other projects in Ahmedabad include a water treatment plant, a water distribution centre, an urban health centre, a sewerage treatment plant, a storm water project, and a library in various parts of the city. He also conducted a computerised allotment draw of over 1,100 residential units at Ramapir no Tekro slum locality in Nava Vadaj area of Ahmedabad city.
The wider programme, as described in the gather file, includes a library called Knowledge Hub in Jodhpur Ward, at a cost of Rs 15.60 crore, and an Urban Primary Health Centre in Gota-Science City for about 80,000 people across 17 areas, including about 46,700 slum residents. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel spoke about a stormwater pumping station in Bopal-Ghuma, at a cost of Rs 23.95 crore, to fix waterlogging in that area. Those figures come from the gather file, and they show the development work that accompanied the drug-free appeal.
What the helpline will do
The 1033 number is the practical centre of the announcement, and it starts on 1 December. From that date, people in Gujarat can call the toll-free number to report the illegal sale of drugs anywhere in the state. Shah said the government will act on the tip-offs and put peddlers behind bars, and he said the caller's identity will be kept confidential. The promise of confidentiality is aimed at people who may otherwise hesitate to report drug sales in their own neighbourhood.
The appeal also covers treatment, and Shah said infrastructure is being prepared for effective efforts to combat drug addiction, including rehabilitating those who have become addicted. He said centres will be set up to help young people break free from addiction, and he said arrangements for that work began on Kali Chaudash. The message from the meeting was that enforcement and treatment should move together, with the public playing a part in both.
