Dr Balbir Singh was talking on the difficulty of medicine on the concluding day of Budget session of Vidhan Sabha. Calling 2014 a “watershed year for Punjab” and with out naming the SAD-BJP authorities, the well being minister stated that throughout the Lok Sabha elections that 12 months, many rhetorical statements about medicine have been made within the state.

Without naming former Union minister Arun Jaitley, who had misplaced 2014 LS election, the minister stated, “A big man lost the election from here. And the government of the day put such addicts in jails in what was called a crackdown on the menace. Jails became overcrowded as these had a capacity of 18,000 but these accommodated 23,000 that time. This only worsened the problem with so many addicts cooped up inside. The gangsters and criminals came up as a byproduct,” he stated.

He added that at the moment, the Election Commission of India seized 1.85 lakh kilo heroine out of which a lion’s share was seized from Punjab alone. Quoting Kofi Annan, he stated, medicine kill folks however insurance policies of the governments kill many extra.” He stated, “However, 2014 gave roots to a new plant that is fruiting now,” he stated referring to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that bagged 4 LS seats of 13 within the LS election.

He stated the federal government now has an motion plan. It wouldn’t ship the drug addicts to jails. “CM Bhagwant Mann Sahib has told me that only smugglers would go to jail. The addicts would only go to rehabilitation centres. We will also press the Centre for amending the NDPS Act, if the need arises.” “We will be using a multi-pronged strategy to combat the menace. We will utilise services of religious preachers, set up CM’s yogshalas, provide these youths with skills so that they can earn their livelihood. A doctor and a psychiatrist would be there to handle the detox part. We will combine the Deaddiction and rehabilitation part at one place. We will also give them loans to set up their own startups,” Dr Balbir Singh stated whereas giving the roadmap.

For these taking injections that was resulting in deaths, Dr Balbir Singh stated they might be supplying with an antidote for such medicine that will save lives, “Nobody would die of drug overdose.” Also, they might get Ludhiana-based psychiatrist Dr Anirudh Kala’s ebook on menace of medicine translated in Punjabi and provided to highschool kids. He stated Punjab’s knowledge was worrying. There have been 528 OOAT clinics, 36 de-addiction authorities run centres, 185 non-public centres, 19 rehabilitation centres in authorities sector and 74 rehabs in non-public sector.