‘Problem of drugs as serious in Punjab as in any other state’

Chandigarh: based Joshi Foundation’s Quit and Kick Drug Movement, a mass awareness initiative against drug addiction to make Punjab drug-free, would reach Ludhiana on April 25. As an initial step, the foundation is organising round table conference of principals/management/directors of prominent schools and colleges in Ludhiana. Announcing this here on Thursday, the chairman of Joshi Foundation Chandigarh and assistant media advisor to Government of Punjab, Vineet Joshi, said that the round table conference was in continuation of the foundation’s battle against drugs with collective efforts of society. He said that Union Minister for State Vijay Sampla and Rajya Sabha MP Avinash Rai Khanna would jointly chair the event. Joshi was flanked by BJP district president Parveen Bansal, Senator of Panjab University Mukesh Arora and Director Edusquare Deepak Goel.Joshi said that the problem of drug addiction was not limited to any geographical boundary. “The problem is as serious in Punjab as in any other state of the country. In Punjab, this awakening has dawned on society that policing alone cannot keep drugs away. We need concerted efforts of family, society and the government,” he said. He took the rival parties Congress and AAP to task which, according to him, were just making political statements and not doing anything on the ground.Founded in the memory of the late Shri Jai Ram Joshi, the former state president of BJP Chandigarh and his son late Navneet Joshi, the Joshi Foundation has already held seven events.