Haryana's Growing Drug Problem

• 13 Sep 2024

Why in News?

Recently, Haryana authorities seized drugs and liquor worth Rs.14 crore since the election announcement, highlighting ongoing concerns about drug-related issues in the state.

Key Points

• Haryana Police registered 3,757 FIRs and arrested 5,350 people under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS),1985 till December 2023.
  • The haul included 590 kg charas, 4,950 kg ganja, 34 kg heroin, 310 kg opium, and 33,602 kg poppy husk, with Sirsa leading in cases and arrests (582 cases, 766 arrests).
• According to Haryana Narcotics Control Bureau, top 10 districts in Haryana for drug cases (1^st Jan to 8^th Dec , 2023) are Sirsa, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Kurukshetra, Fatehabad , Ambala , Yamunanagar , Hisar, Rohtak , Panchkula.
• Studies by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development and Indian Council for Social Science Research link the drug problem to youth unemployment and frustration.
• Unemployment Rate in Haryana :
  • Unemployment rate is the percentage of unemployed persons in the labour force.
  • Based on the current weekly status (CWS) approach, a person is considered unemployed if they did not work for even an hour during the reference week but were available for or sought work for at least one hour.
  • Urban unemployment rate for the 15-29 age group increased to 11.2% in the April-June 2024 quarter, up from 9.5% in the January-March 2024 quarter according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) April-June 2024 Report.
  • For women in the 15-29 age group in urban areas, the unemployment rate rose to 17.2% in April-June, compared to 13.9% in the previous quarter.
• Haryana’s Hriday Parivartan Abhiyan (Heart Change Campaign):
  • The campaign aims to bring about a behavioral change in drug addicts and peddlers by encouraging renunciation of drugs through community involvement.
  • Identified drug peddlers and consumers will appear before village elders, the community, and a pandit.
    • They will be educated on the damaging effects of drugs on their lives, families, and communities.
    • A ceremony involving the symbolic act of putting salt in a pot will signify the renunciation of drugs. ‘Namak-Lota Abhiyaan’ (pledge in front of elders to stay off drugs)
    • Participants will take an oath before village deities and the community, vowing to give up drugs.
  • Peddlers involved due to poverty will be made aware of government schemes designed for people below the poverty line to provide them with alternative livelihoods.
• Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau (HSNCB) has launched a pioneering project called ‘Chakravyuh: The escape room’ which aims to keep teenagers away from narcotics addiction.