Ahmedabad, November 9: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday set a deadline of December 31, 2028 for making Gujarat drug-free, saying the state should not wait for the Centre's target of a drug-free India by December 31, 2029, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) reported. Addressing a public gathering in Ahmedabad, Shah said the government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against drugs, which he described as a threat to the future of young people.

Source: PIB via Technology For You

"India has to become drug-free by December 31, 2029. But Gujarat should not wait until 2029. We have to take responsibility for making Gujarat drug-free before December 31, 2028," Shah said, according to IANS. He announced that a dedicated helpline, 1033, would become operational in Gujarat from December 1, allowing citizens to anonymously report the sale and consumption of drugs, with informants' identities kept confidential and action ensured within three hours.

Source: IANS via hi INDiA

Dec 31, 2028Shah's deadline for a drug-free Gujarat
1033toll-free drugs helpline, operational from Dec 1
3 hourspromised action time on helpline information
Dec 31, 2029the Centre's drug-free India target

A control room for the 1033 helpline will be established in Gujarat before December 1, Shah said. He referred to a joint meeting held on Saturday between the Union Home Ministry and the Gujarat Home Department, which discussed implementation of the three new criminal laws, modernisation of the Home Department and measures to make Gujarat drug-free, Hindusthan Samachar reported.

Source: Hindusthan Samachar

Shah appealed to citizens, parents and teachers to join the campaign. Teachers should watch for behavioural changes in students — including red eyes, frequent drowsiness and an inability to concentrate — and alert parents, he said, while parents should monitor adolescent children closely. He also alleged that money generated through the drug trade was being used to promote terrorism, IANS reported.

Calling for treatment without stigma, Shah said rehabilitation and treatment facilities would be needed for those who had become addicted, and assured families that the identity of children undergoing treatment would not be disclosed. "There is no need to feel ashamed. If someone suffers from malaria or tuberculosis, they go to a hospital for treatment. Why should treatment for drug addiction be any different?" he said, according to IANS.