Heat wave conditions in India – Telangana and Andhra Pradesh worst hit

                                                         K R Sudhaman

Gone are the days when India is to witness starvation deaths. The 1942 Bengal famine is the one of the worst in the world taking thousands or perhaps lakhs of lives in India. We have come a long way thanks to green revolution that there are no starvation deaths for want of food.

While India has conquered this problem there are deaths in India due to cold wave and heat wave conditions and this seems to be a recurring problem. Lately heat wave has become a frequent problem in the country in most parts of hinterland during summer. The country witnessed the one of the worst heat wave recently killing over 2,300 people and worst hit were Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Global warming is said to be one of reasons and this year's heat wave in India is considered to be among the top five deadliest in the world. We may blame the global warming for it but this is preventable if only India moves rapidly towards providing shelter and drinking water for all. This is the mission, which has remained unfulfilled even after 68 years of independence and it speaks volumes about the callousness of the government in not valuing the importance of human life.

It, therefore, goes to the credit of the government that they have taken these two unfulfilled objectives as a mission and promised to provide shelter for all and drinking water in all villages by 2022. These two have been done on a war footing as this will prevent deaths in heat wave or cold wave conditions. We cannot fight nature's fury like earthquake, flash floods, cloudburst and the resultant and unexpected deaths. But we can certainly ensure there are no deaths on these score by providing shelter and adequate drinking water so that we conquer this problems as well just as we done in the case of starvation deaths due to famine.

अच्छे दिनों के इंतजार में बढ़ी कृषि की बदहाली

                     हरवीर सिंह/ दिल्ली

पिछली यूपीए सरकार किसानों के लिए जो ब्याज दरें तय कर गई थी उसमें कोई कटौती नहीं की गई। इस साल जब किसान संकट में हैं तो उम्मीद थी कि उनको ब्याज मुक्त कर्ज देने की पहल सरकार करेगी

केंद्र की प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी के नेतृत्व वाली एनडीए सरकार से देश के किसानों को जितनी ज्यादा उम्मीदें थी उतना ही उन्हें निराश होना पड़ा। सरकार का एक साल पूरा हो गया और अब मोदी सरकार के पास कृषि क्षेत्र और किसानों को संकट से निकालने के लिए चार साल बचे हैं। या यूं कहें कि इस क्षेत्र को प्राथमिकता के एजेंडा में पीछे रखकर एक साल गंवा दिया गया। कृषि उत्पादों के लिए पूरे देश को एक बाजार में तब्दील करने, कृषि उत्पादन लागत पर 50 फीसदी मुनाफा देने, हर खेत को पानी और गांवों को बेहतर ढांचागत सुविधाएं देकर और उनको शहरों की बराबरी पर लाने के वादे अभी अधूरे हैं या यूं कहें कि इन मुद्दों पर अभी कोई बड़ी पहल या नीतिगत खाका अभी दिख नहीं रहा है। लेकिन जिस तेजी के साथ सरकार ने भूमि अधिग्रहण के लिए 2013 के कानून में बदलाव किये और तीन बार अध्यादेश जारी किये उससे  एक संदेश किसानों के बीच जरूर गया है कि सरकार किसानों के हितों की बजाय कारपोरेट और उद्योग जगत के हितों को लेकर ज्यादा चिंतित है। हालांकि प्रधानमंत्री से लेकर अन्य मंत्री और भाजपा इस कदम को किसानों के हित में उठाया कदम बता रही है लेकिन किसान संगठनों और विपक्ष के लगातार हमलों के चलते सरकार को किसान हितैषी छवि बनाने के लिए भारी मशक्कत करनी पड़ रही है। वैसे भी मोदी के सबसे बड़े आर्थिक सलाहकार व नीति आयोग के उपाध्यक्ष अरविंद पनगढ़िया को कृषि से बहुत उम्मीदें नहीं हैं। उनको नहीं लगता है कि कृषि देश के विकास को तेज करने में बहुत बड़ा योगदान दे पायेगी। लेकिन वह यह भूल रहे हैं कि इस सुधारवादी सरकार को सत्ता में लाने के लिए सबसे बड़ा योगदान उस आबादी का ही है जो कृषि पर गुजर बसर करती है।

कई मामलों में यह साल किसानों के लिए संकट का रहा है। पिछले साल मानसून सामान्य से कम रहा है और कई इलाके सूखे की चपेट में रहे। नतीजा खाद्यान्न उत्पादन में पांच फीसदी गिरावट आई। यही नहीं कई दूसरी फसलों का उत्पादन भी गिरा। उसके बाद रबी सीजन में बेमौसम की बारिश और दूसरी प्राकृतिक आपदाओं ने किसानों को भारी संकट में डाला। 2004 के बाद पहली बार किसान आत्महत्याओँ का मामला इतना ज्यादा चर्चा  में रहा कि उसने देश में किसानों की बदहाली को सामने ला दिया। सरकार स्वीकार कर रही है कि किसानों की हालत खराब है। वित्त मंत्री अरूण जेटली कह रहे हैं कि अगला एक साल कृषि क्षेत्र के चुनौतियों भरा है। भले ही पिछले वित्त वर्ष (2014-15) के लिए सकल घरेलू उत्पाद (जीडीपी) की विकास दर 7.4 फीसदी रहने का अनुमान लगाया गया हो लेकिन इसमें कृषि और सहयोगी क्षेत्र की विकास दर 1.1 फीसदी पर अटक गई। असल में अभी जिस तरह से कृषि उत्पादन के आंकड़े संशोधित हो रहे हैं उससे लगता है कि पिछले साल कृषि विकास दर सकारात्मक रहने की बजाय इस क्षेत्र में गिरावट के संशोधित आंकडे सामने आने तय हैं।

सवाल यह है कि कोई बड़ी पहल क्यों नहीं की गई। प्रधानमंत्री सिंचाई योजना पिछले बजट में घोषित की गई थी लेकिन हर खेत को पानी देने के लिए जो बजटीय प्रावधान किये गये हैं वह तो इतने बड़े उद्देश्य के लिए मजाक बन कर रह गये हैं। इसी तरह किसानों को बेहतर दाम देने का जो वादा किया गया था और किसान आयोग के अध्यक्ष रहे प्रतिष्ठित वैज्ञानिक प्रोफेसर एम.एस. स्वामीनाथन की रिपोर्ट के आधार पर लागत पर 50 फीसदी मुनाफा देने के वादे को पूरी तरह भुला दिया गया। पिछले साल के खरीफ और रबी सीजन की फसलों के न्यूनतम समर्थन मूल्य (एमएसपी) में तीन से चार फीसदी की बढ़ोतरी की गई और कई फसलों के एमएसपी को फ्रीज कर दिया गया। यही नहीं खाद्यान्नों की सरकारी खरीद पर बोनस देने से राज्यों को रोक दिया गया। यानी जो राज्य किसानों को अधिक दाम देना चाहते हैं वह भी ऐसा नहीं कर सके। दिलचस्प बात यह है कि ऐसे दो राज्य मध्य प्रदेश और छत्तीसगढ़ भाजपा की सरकारों के तहत हैं। यह कदम दर्शाता है कि किसानों की वित्तीय स्थिति को लेकर सरकार गंभीर नहीं है।

वहीं उत्तर प्रदेश जैसे बड़े राज्य में जहां से भाजपा को संख्या के हिसाब से सबसे अधिक लोक सभा सीटें मिली है वहां के किसानों की सबसे बड़ी समस्या गन्ना मूल्य का भुगतान नहीं होना है। पिछले दो साल से किसान इस संकट को झेल रहे हैं। इसके चलते पश्चिमी उत्तर प्रदेश जैसे कृषि में संपन्न इलाके से पहली बार किसान आत्महत्या के मामले सामने आ रहे हैं। लेकिन इसका कोई हल अभी तक सरकार नहीं निकाल सकी है। जबकि अब यह समस्या उत्तर प्रदेश के अलावा महाराष्ट्र, कर्नाटक, आंध्र प्रदेश और गुजरात में भी खड़ी हो चुकी है। चौंकाने वाली बात यह है कि राजस्थान, हरियाणा, पंजाब, पश्चिमी उत्तर प्रदेश और गुजरात जैसे नये इलाकों से आत्महत्या के मामले जिस तरह से सामने आये हैं उसके चलते उनके बीच निराशा की पैदा होती स्थिति सामने आ रही है।

बात यहीं नहीं रुकी अंतरराष्ट्रीय बाजार में कृषि उत्पादों की कीमतों में भारी कमी का खामियाजा देश के किसानों को भुगतना पड़ रहा है। इसमें केवल गन्ना किसान ही नहीं बल्कि कपास, रबड़, तिलहन, बासमती और कई अन्य फसलों के उत्पादक किसान शामिल हैं। हालांकि सरकार को इसके चलते खाद्य महंगाई पर काबू पाने में बड़ी कामयाबी मिली है और राजनीतिक मोर्चे पर वह उसके लिए फायदेमंद भी है। यही नहीं इसके लिए उसने एक कदम आगे बढ़कर प्राइस स्टेबलिटी फंड भी बनाया है। लेकिन इस हालत से संकट झेल रहे किसानों के लिए इंकम सिक्यूरिटी के लिए कोई फंड बनाने की पहल नहीं दिखी है।

सरकार ने प्राकृतिक आपदा के चलते फसल नुकसान के मुआवजे की राशि में बढ़ोतरी का कदम जरूर उठाया है। इसे 50 फीसदी बढ़ा दिया है। लेकिन इस पर दो हैक्टेयर की सीमा भी लागू कर दी। वहीं मुआवजा आकलन और आवंटन की प्रक्रिया में कोई बदलाव नहीं किया गया है। इसके साथ ही प्राकृतिक आपदा के लगातार बढ़ते मामलों के चलते कृषि बीमा को बेहतर करने के लिए कोई पहल अभी तक नहीं की गई है।

सरकार कृषि सब्सिडी में कटौती जरूर करना चाहती है और यही वजह है कि उर्वरक सब्सिडी को डायरेक्ट बेनेफिट ट्रांस्फर (डीबीटी) के तहत लाने की कवायद चल रही है। लेकिन जो बटाईदार किसान जमीन ठेके पर लेकर खेती करते हैं उनको लेकर क्या रुख रहेगा इसे अभी साफ नहीं किया गया है। साथ ही मिट्टी की जांच के लिए सॉयल हैल्थ कार्ड बांटने का काम शुरू किया गया है। लेकिन जिस बड़े पैमाने पर इसकी लांचिंग की गई उस तरह के नतीजे मिलेंगे इसकी गुंजाइश कम है क्योंकि इसके लिए जरूरी उर्वरक उत्पाद उपलब्ध ही नहीं है। यही नहीं पहली बाद देश में यूरिया का संकट किसानों को झेलना पड़ा जो सरकार की कमजोर प्रबंधन रणनीति के चलते पैदा हुआ और रबी सीजन में किसानों को ब्लैक में अधिक पैसे देकर यूरिया खरीदना पड़ा।

एक बड़ा सवाल सस्ते कर्ज का भी है। पिछली यूपीए सरकार किसानों के लिए जो ब्याज दरें तय कर गई थी उसमें कोई कटौती नहीं की गई। इस साल जब किसान संकट में हैं तो उम्मीद थी कि उनको ब्याज मुक्त कर्ज देने की पहल सरकार करेगी लेकिन अभी तक ऐसा नहीं हो सका है। साथ ही कृषि कर्ज की प्रक्रिया को आसान बनाने के लिए कोई कदम नहीं उठाया गया है। 

From devil's workshop

In the wake of rising drug and alcoholism among Keralites, the state government recently launched a major campaign "Subodham" to help people in the state overcome alcohol, drug and other substance abuse. The project was launched by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Art of Living Foundation founder Sri Sri Ravishankar in the presence of religious leaders, representatives of student organisations and NGOs working against drug abuse.

"The state government aims to wipe out the menace of substance addiction from our society through 'Subodham'. If total alcohol prohibition could save the society, the state government is ready to forego the revenue from the sale of liquor that is around Rs 7,000 crore per annum," said Chandy.

Sri Sri Ravishankar said: "Kerala can become a model-state in anti-alcohol and drug awareness as well as rehabilitation initiatives. This initiative is very much a need of the hour. It will be a great achievement if we can implement the project successfully."

The "Subodham" project, envisaged by the excise department, will be implemented by a high-level committee comprising experts from various fields.

Excise Minister K. Babu, who is also the chairman of "Subodham", said: "The campaign aims to free one lakh people from drug and alcohol addiction each year. "'Subodham' heralds the first step towards 'Punarjani 2030 Project', a state government initiative to completely eradicate the menace of substance abuse in Kerala." The state education department, meanwhile, agreed to include anti-drug and alcohol awareness content in the state curriculum from the next academic year.

The problem is causing serious social problems in the state. A recent survey said about 74 per cent of the children between the age group 5 and 18 in the state use tobacco. The study was conducted by National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences where a total of 119 children were covered examining their pattern, profile and substance use. Alcohol, tobacco and inhalants are common initial substances of abuse and have been described as 'gateway substances'. These substances are easily available to the children, according to the revelations in the research.

Most of these products are not illegal and there is some form of social acceptance for their use. However, the use of these "gateway substances" increases the subsequent risk of transition to harder and illicit substances.

The study is part of a nationwide exercise under the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) which had closely examined 4,024 children across 27 states and two union territories of the country.

Kerala has been in the news recently again for the wrong reasons. The state has the highest per capita liquor consumption in the country (over 8 liters per person a year), surpassing traditionally hard-drinking states such as Punjab and Haryana. It's estimated that 5 per cent of the state's population (roughly one in 10 men) is addicted to liquor.

Drug-related cases have been on the rise in the state. In April alone 67 cases were registered in the state and the excise department seized 84.65 kg of drugs. In Thiruvanthapuram alone, nine cases were registered and 25 kg of ganja was seized. Drugs come to Kerala mainly from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

Meanwhile, the police are facing a new problem. With the Kerala government's decision to drastically reduce availability of liquor, as part of a policy to implement total prohibition in 10 years, it has given rise to a fast-growing parallel market for its substitutes ranging from illicit brews and adulterated toddy to narcotics and even Ayurveda medicines containing alcohol.

Many ayurvedic drug manufacturers increasing the alcohol content in arishtam and other medicines. One can find several youngsters taking ayurvedic drugs to get a high. Several lesser known ayurvedic shops are selling arishtams with high alcohol content, prompting police, excise and drug control departments to intensify raids and tighten control over the industry.

Substance abuse is a serious problem among youngsters in Kerala. A recent survey found about 74 per cent school 

children use tobacco products - gate way to drugs .

Dr D Ramanathan, secretary at Ayurveda Medicine Manufacturers Association of India, said that out of about 380 ayurvedic drug manufacturing units in the state only about 30 to 35 units, or less than 10%, are manufacturing stronger arishtams for tipplers. At the same time, sales of arishtams of established, genuine players in the industry have fallen by 20%-25% because retailers have started reducing their stocks of arishtams fearing excise raids. "They (retailers) are taking only smaller quantities and as a result the total sales have fallen," Dr Ramanathan said.

"In the 1960s, when there was prohibition in Kerala, some ayurveda companies sold such arishtams and ended up making a fortune," he said. It's not just makers of arishtam who are looking to make a fortune from Kerala's current prohibition policy. In most parts of the state there's a sudden revival in demand for country liquor, as the government has closed 418 bars and 10% retail outlets, steeply increased prices of liquor, and also declared Sunday as a dry day. Country made arrack distilled from fruits and prepared without any artificial ingredients might be safe to drink. But in many cases, liquor sold to the people is made with harmful ingredients like chemicals.

"Some chemicals added in the right proportion can make the drink more potent," said Jithesh R, an expert in the manufacture of arrack. "In normal case we use jaggery, water, toddy, fruits, cinnamon, thathiri flowers (fire flame bush), etc, which is kept for 15 days before being taken out and boiled and distilled," he said.

Use of chemicals can help reduce the fermentation period to five days, but it is not safe and can have serious health consequences, Jithesh said. Rush at local toddy shops too has increased of late. The government has said it will protect toddy - a drink taken from the coconut palm.

But the problem is, good toddy is hard to get. "What we get is mostly adulterated toddy," said Roshy A, a toddy shop owner in Alappuzha district. Excise raids have confirmed the use of harmful chemicals such as sodium lauryl sulphate in toddy. Some recent reports said that a cocktail of five chemicals like sodium bicarbonate, saccharine and titanium dioxide and pharma products like tranquilisers are mixed with toddy to give it the required "effect".

Those who are against prohibition claim that the state's policy would encourage use of drugs among youths. The number of narcotic cases registered by the excise department has increased substantially in recent months. Contraband seized recently include ganja, ganja paste, ampoules of drugs that can be injected and brown sugar.

An excise official said drug peddlers are chasing regular consumers of liquor besides school and college going students - as confirmed by recent arrests of some drug peddlers in the vicinity of bars. "It is convenient for the user (of alcohol) as the price is cheap, there is no foul smell and the intoxication, in most cases, lasts longer," the person said

The opium route

More than 55 per cent of heroin, which is being smuggled into India, is coming from Afghanistan through Pakistan 

SANJU VERMA/ Chandigarh

Afghanistan is mostly the sole producer of agro-based narcotics, which according to an international estimate, is about 600 tonnes. Of this the major portion is being transported to main consumer nations in America, Europe and Africa through borders of erstwhile USSR countries, which fall on the western side of Afghanistan. A very small proportion is routed through Pakistan and India borders, but still in money terms they run into many thousand crore.

“Afghanistan is the sole producer of Opium and Ganza. About 600 tonnes are produced every year in that country. A very small portion of it, say about a tone is being smuggled through our borders. Our forces are vigilant and they frequently catch the smugglers with the stuff. But still, they sneak into the country with 300 to 400 kg of narcotics,” said an intelligence source in the BSF.  He, further, said, “The flow was less during the stay of American forces in Afghanistan as the soldiers used to destroy the banned crops, wherever they moved. But since they left the country, again the drug lords and barons started investing into the cultivation of opium and other drug crops. It suits the cultivators, as they get assured income. It is an international problem and requires global solution.”

More than 55 per cent of heroin, which is being smuggled into India, is coming from Afghanistan through Pakistan. Even the United Nations in its one of reports has said the Taliban are earning 200 to 300 million dollars annually from a surcharge it levies on illegal trade in that country. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that “The Taliban have an annual revenue of between USD 200-300 million from a surcharge levied on illicit drug trade”.

The report said security is “weak” in southern provinces of Afghanistan and an “overwhelming” majority of villages are involved in illegal opium poppy cultivation. It, however, said the illegal opium cultivation has dropped by 19 per cent from its record level of 1.93 lakh hectares a few years back to 1.57 lakh hectares last year. Despite this, the country accounts for 90 per cent of illegal opium in the world. More than 55 per cent of heroin, which is being smuggled into India is coming from Afghanistan through Pakistan, said an UN official too.

The eradication efforts in Afghanistan are being “hampered” by lack of security, poor planning and inadequate equipment and funding, the report said. In a welcome trend, the report, however, noted, there has been an increase in the number of provinces that have become free of opium poppy and there have been more voluntary eradication efforts by farmers.

“The illicit cultivation of opium is not the only drug control problem in Afghanistan. Illicit cultivation of cannabis plants in the country has increased significantly over the past few years. Till a few years back, illicit cannabis cultivation was reported in 14 provinces, not only in areas in which opium poppy is illicitly cultivated but also areas that have been declared free of opium poppy,” said the report. Farmers have been switching from opium poppy cultivation to cannabis cultivation, as cannabis cultivation is becoming increasingly lucrative in Afghanistan, confirmed the report. 

According to senior officials in BSF, the force has, on an average, seized one kg of heroin per day along the border with Pakistan in 2014. Altogether, the BSF had seized more than 361 kg of heroin with a street value of Rs 1,805 crore, trafficked from Pakistan to Punjab last year, the officials added.

With the BSF being accused of not cracking down on the drug mafia, who continue to smuggle drugs from Pakistan to Punjab, BSF has recently sent a detailed report on drug trafficking to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which outlined the functioning of well-organised drug cartels.

The scourge of drug trafficking in Punjab has been growing due to the easy availability of drug couriers, digging of tunnels, insertion of pipes through border fencing, and well-knit syndicates including transnational criminals running the racket from jails, said the report.

In its report, the BSF has also mentioned that it is not only the smuggled drugs that are solely responsible for the drug menace in the state. It said, heroin and opium, the two drugs most smuggled, contribute to only five per cent of the substance abuse in Punjab.

According to the BSF, there are plenty of couriers in border villages and they are being paid up to Rs 60,000 per kg and a well-organised syndicate ensures that drug consignments are “concealed and cleared”.

The BSF has also admitted that for years people along the border have been part of the drug network but little has been done to rein in these elements.

Dope test before recruitment

Punjab government, in its war against drugs, is starting from home. Aimed at checking the entry of drug addicts in the state government services, it has made it mandatory to clear a 'dope test' during recruitment process in all departments of the state government.

The development assumes significance as the demand for conducting dope tests of politicians, who wanted to contest polls, was raised time and again from different quarters. Taking a first step, the state government has decided to implement the same on government service aspirants.

Badal said that necessary amendments must be made in the existing rules to incorporate necessary provisions for ensuring that any person selected for the government service must clear 'dope test' during his medical examination.

"If the report of dope test of any aspirant is found positive, he or she must be debarred from joining the government services," said Badal, adding that this would not only encourage youth to shun away menace of drugs but it would also ensure that healthy officers or officials join the service in the future.

"This is the need of the hour so as to combat the menace of drugs in a more effective manner," he said.

In grip of drug menace

                                              Sopan Correspondent/ Chandigarh

As almost 70 per cent of the population of Punjab has experimented drugs at some point or the other, all the political parties in the state have tried to capitalise on the issue to score points on their rivals

Punjab, a state which was once known as the land of fierce warriors is fighting its own silent battle with the drug inferno that has engulfed this land of plenty in its venomous fangs. In a study done on the extent of drug abuse comprising a sample population of 600 respondents, it was found that around 75% youth in the age group of 15-25 is an addict.

Drugs perhaps have become the greatest bane of Punjab in the last few years so much so that it has penetrated in some form or the other in every village and every family of the state.

In May, the Chandigarh-based Joshi Foundation, which has been spreading awareness in the state against drugs, organised a round table conference to dissect the problem and find solutions.

It came out with recommendation. To save the youngsters from drugs the family, society and then government will have to make concerted joints efforts and fulfil their responsibilities. The parents should create a drug-free atmosphere at their homes and spend maximum time with their children. Children's companionship and their habits should be watched closely. If a relative or someone known to the family gives not -so-pleasing information about your child, you should take it in a constructive manner. The need of hour is to re-introduce societal policing as the people in society can play an important role in helping create a drug free Punjab albeit on the condition that society and government gives them due credit.

Rajya Sabha MP Avinash Rai Khanna, SGPC member and chairperson Punjab State Women Commission Paramjit Kaur Landran and Joshi Foundation's chairman and Punjab government's assistant media advisor Vineet Joshi and 12 other dignitaries participated.

Khanna said when the family, society and government was being held responsible for it, all the four should get together and wage a battle against the addiction. He added that the law alone could not do anything. Societal awakening is needed to slain the monster of drugs.

Vineet Joshi said, "As a matter of fact, drug addiction is spread widely in all parts of India bet it be Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh or any other state. The only difference is that in Punjab, it has become a burning issue."

Paramjit Kaur Landran, chairperson Punjab State Women Commission, said that in the 80 percent cases received at commission, drug addiction is the main cause of feud. She said that the eminent end put to joint families and children getting isolated from their parents and families were main causes of drug addiction. She added that the Paying Guest culture was proving detrimental to the society as in absence of parents children were falling easy prey to drug addiction.

Chairman of the Rayat and Bahra Group of Institutes Gurvinder Singh Bahra said that weak parents and crumbling families were the prime cause of concern for the children falling into addiction trap. He said that the students should be admitted to college hostels instead of PGs where there is no check on them.

In Punjab, there has been a demand from the centre for steps for formulating a uniform National Drug Policy to deal with the menace. Former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, in a letter to the Prime Minister, said: "Without a coordinated effort by vari ous states under the guidance of the Centre, it is not possible to eradicate this problem that is eating into the vitals of our younger generation."

 There were three sources of drugs supply to Punjab. One comes from across the border from Pakistan. Second type of drugs were the ones produced in Madhya Pradesh where there is no restriction on growing poppy and selling opium. It then travels to Rajasthan where it is legally traded. Since Punjab is on the border with Rajasthan, it becomes a lucrative market. The relative affluence of people in Punjab also makes them easy targets of drug trade.

The third type of drugs was produced locally, which are called synthetic drugs. These are cheaply produced within Punjab and are easily available.

 Although there is total ban on growing or trading in poppy or its products in Punjab, it hardly served any purpose as long as it is not banned in the states where it can be produced and traded Need for formulating a uniform National Drug Policy that is applicable across the country emanates from this.

 As almost 70 per cent of the population of Punjab has experimented drugs at some point or the other, all the political parties in the state have tried to capitalise on the issue to score points on their rivals.

In an attempt to outdo each other, Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) held independent crusades against the issue of drug menace in Punjab at the start of 2015. SAD staged sit-ins at international borders "to create awareness", BJP launch its anti-drug campaign and Congress staged dharnas at all district headquarters on the issue in January.

The menace of existence of drugs could be gauged from the fact that over 16,600 FIRs were registered between April 15, 2013 and May 31, 2014 for which data was available.  As a result of this, 18,651 persons were arrested, an official of the Narcotics Bureau of Punjab said.

 He said that those arrested included peddlers in poppy husk, opium, heroin, smack, ganja, sulfa, charas, brown sugar and various intoxicants.  A total of 2.41 lakh kg of poppy husk, 1,155 kg of opium, 480 kg of heroin, 53 kg of smack and a large quantity of drugs and intoxicants were captured during this period, he said.

 The official said that heroin was mostly sold in border areas while poppy husk and synthetic drugs were sold in Bathinda and Patiala respectively. In Punjab's war against drugs, the state police department started its collaboration with village panchayats and elected representatives in urban belts to identify the drug addicts.  The police have been asked to tie with village panchayats to identify drug addicts so that they could be rehabilitated in a phased manner.

In addition, senior IAS and police officers have now been deployed to jointly monitor special medical camps set up at block-level to detoxify and rehabilitate drug addicts in Punjab.

Underscoring the need to carry out detoxification of drug addicts on a war-footing, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said: "With police tightening noose around drug peddlers, the demand for treatment for drug de-addiction has witnessed a rapid surge due to which the need of the hour is to impart de-addiction facilities to addicts at their nearest places."

Badal asked Principal Secretary (Health) Vinni Mahajan to ensure that drug addicts are given quality medical facilities to wean them away from the menace. Chief Minister asked Mahajan to establish a control room in Chandigarh to ensure quick supply of medicines to such camps besides ensuring other logistic support. Special Secretary Health and Family Welfare Vikas Garg has been appointed the Nodal officer at Chandigarh to coordinate for the drug de-addiction operations across the state.

 Badal said that services of civil and police administrations under a Deputy Commissioner and a Senior Superintendent of Police, respectively, along with a Civil Surgeon and Senior Medical Officers should be roped in for such camps. "15 IAS and 13 police officers, who have been allotted one or two districts each, will oversee arrangements in the medical camps within their jurisdiction," he said, adding that they would co-ordinate with the Principal Secretary, Health, to plug any loopholes to ensure best treatment to drug addicts.

Guwahati: JFA resents court order over containing Bandh-call news

Journalists Forum Assam (JFA) has expressed dissatisfactions
over a higher court order preventing media coverage relating to any
Bandh-call in Meghalaya and opined that in the days of robust
alternate media in northeast India banning the newspaper and news
channels for a particular cause makes little sense.
According to media reports from Shillong, the Meghalaya High Court in
an order issued on 27 May 2015 has banned the media from publishing
statements by organizations calling for Bandhs (shutdown/general
strike) in the State which results in disruption of normal life.
The order came following Meghalaya police chief Rajiv Mehta recently
requested the court to restrain the media from carrying statements by
the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council as well as other
organizations calling for shutdowns and other forms of agitations.
The court directed that ‘the statements of HNLC or any organization
which may disturb the even tempo of day-to-day public life and cause
violation of fundamental rights of citizens in particular under
Article 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India relating to strike,
bandh, hartal, road blockade and holding of rallies with unlawful
design shall not be issued by any of the print and electronic media’.
Earlier the Gauhati High Court in January 2010 declared all Bandhs
illegal as it violates the fundamental rights of the citizens. The
court also directed the government to take steps for preventing
infringement of fundamental rights of the citizens on account of
Bandhs. Prior to it, the Kerala High Court in 1997 also banned Bandhs
and it was later upheld by the Supreme Court of India.
“On principle, we do not support the culture of Bandh, but the media’s
right to report about a call for general strikes by any organisation
in a democracy like India should not be curtailed,” said a statement
issued by JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria. The
JFA however pointed out that the media should not glorify any
disruptive activities in the name of freedom of the press.
The JFA questioned that if the mainstream media was restrained from
reporting the Bandh-call, who would prevent the social media-users
from spreading the same. Rather in case of Bandhs, JFA argued, the
authority should (must) take appropriate actions to maintain the civic
amenities. The forum also demanded strong actions against those
individuals, who adopt vandalism to impose Bandhs over the fellow
citizens.