Katra, Oct 16: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS, PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh on Monday expressed concern over the menace of drug addiction spreading to Reasi district and the holy destination of Katra Vaishnodevi. Singh said he was disturbed to receive reports about rising cases of substance abuse by the youth in this region.
The union minister had held review meetings with the local administration and law enforcement agencies on the matter in the last two days. He appealed to parents and the local administration to wean away children from drugs, saying their potential must be harnessed to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India a developed nation by 2047. He said the sanctity of the holy city of Katra must be preserved, and it must become a source of inspiration for social values.
Dr Singh said a strategic plan is being formulated at the local administration level and social level to check drug addiction. Hotspots will be identified and social awareness will be created to curb the menace, he informed.
The minister was speaking after inaugurating the Navratri festival and Multimedia Exhibition, organised by the Central Bureau of Communication, Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, here to mark the auspicious Navratras.
The theme of the weeklong exhibition being organised at Government Boys’ Higher Secondary School, Katra is 9 Years of Seva, Sushasan and Garib Kalyan. The exhibition coincides with the Navratri Festival in Katra.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jitendra said the development of the region is the top priority of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. He said revolutionary development has taken place in the region in the last nine years.
Talking about infrastructure projects, Dr Singh said the world’s highest railway bridge has come up in Reasi. He said the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway is soon going to be ready. “Katra was the second station in the country to get Vande Bharat train and when the rail line is through with Kashmir valley by this year-end, it will be an important junction,” he said, adding that Katra was singled out for the Modi government’s PRASAD scheme and said it soon will also have Multimode Inter Station.
In his address, Joint Director, Central Bureau of Communication (CBC), Jammu, Ghulam Abbas said the unit has been creating awareness about government schemes and programmes among the public. Today’s exhibition is part of the efforts to reach the message to the grassroots, he added.
