E-rickshaws helping communities fight drugs through awareness, rehabilitation and anonymous reporting: Dr. Balbir Singh

Chandigarh: The Bhagwant Mann government’s flagship initiative against drug abuse in Punjab 'Yudh Nashean Virudh' is getting a major boost from a campaign that involves specially designated e-rickshaws at the grassroots level. These e-rickshaws are operating across Punjab's 86 legislative assemblies as part of a pilot project aimed at mobilising communities against drug abuse.

As part of the campaign, one assembly segment has been selected in each of the 23 districts for the pilot project. In these assembly segments, one e-rickshaw has been assigned to cover 40 villages to spread awareness and collect anonymous tip-offs about drug peddlers and people in need of de-addiction, among other things. Already, the e-rickshaw initiative is covering 3,440 villages across the state, roughly one-third of all the Punjab villages.

The e-rickshaws are driving home the awareness messages to people who are difficult to reach through conventional means. The e-rickshaws carry and go from village to village to spread awareness about the harmful effects of drug abuse and the avenues for rehabilitation.

What is the aim of the initiative?

The initiative is part of the larger scheme of things of the Bhagwant Mann government to involve local communities in its fight against drug abuse. Village Defence Committees (VDCs) set up at the grassroots level are playing a huge role in monitoring the effectiveness of the programme to provide feedback to the government.

According to the feedback received from several districts, VDC members have seen encouraging responses ever since the deployment of the e-rickshaws. Committee members have reported increased public engagement in awareness programmes, greater participation in the meetings at the village levels and improved communication between residents and local authorities regarding drug-related concerns.

When will the review meetings be underway?

This feedback is being reviewed during a series of meetings scheduled throughout June and has already begun. As per the review mechanism put in place, assembly-level meetings are being held in the first week of June, which will have a gathering of the MLA concerned, SDM, DSPs, SHOs, VDC conveners and acting presidents. The feedback will be sought from acting presidents and VDC conveners.

This shall be followed by VDC meetings in the second week of June, in which Block Coordinators, VDC conveners, VDC acting presidents, and VDC members would be present. It will review actions taken on the earlier complaints, evaluate new complaints, and conduct an overall review of Yudh Nashean Virudh campaign ‘s progress at the village level.

In the third week of June, a meeting would be held led by ministers, civil and police administration, to review the status of registered complaints and feedback would be sought from assembly and block coordinators. In the last week, Honourable CM Bhagwant Mann would review the progress of Yudh Nashean Virudh campaign, review the status of escalated complaints and also set the roadmap for the future.

This systematic review process reflects the Mann government’s focus on accountability and continuous monitoring of anti-drug initiatives. The meetings are aimed at gathering feedback from VDC conveners, acting presidents, block coordinators and representatives, while also assessing the effectiveness of various interventions undertaken under the campaign.

Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh said, “The e-rickshaw campaign is another feather in Mann government's cap. In addition to collecting tip-offs from the community in a safe and anonymous manner, the e-rickshaws are also helping in initiating dialogue at the community level about the social and financial consequences of drug addiction and how to get rid of it. Local residents have shown keen interest in the outreach activities conducted through these mobile units, turning the government's Yudh Nashean Virudh initiative into a people's movement.”

The Bhagwant Mann government has consistently maintained that the battle against drugs cannot be won through enforcement alone and requires active participation from society. With awareness, community participation and local accountability forming the core of the programme, the e-rickshaw initiative is increasingly being seen as a valuable addition to Punjab’s ongoing fight against drug abuse.