The Punjab government on Monday recommended the death penalty for people convicted of smuggling or peddling drugs.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said the state will forward the recommendation to the Union government. “Since drug peddling is destroying entire generations, it deserves exemplary punishment,” Singh said on Twitter after a Cabinet meeting on Monday. “I stand by my commitment for a drug-free Punjab.”
Ahead of the Assembly elections in the state last year, the Congress had promised to end the drug menace if voted to power.
State Minister Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa said the state has also decided to constitute a sub-committee to review the state’s rehabilitation programme, according to The Tribune.
“The Cabinet also decided to constitute a special Working Group under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary [Home] NS Kalsi to review and monitor, on a day-to-day basis, the action being taken to check and control drug abuse,” a government press release said.
It added: “The special Working Group constituted to review and update the Government strategy against drugs will have Additional Chief Secretary [Health] Satish Chandra, Director General of Police [Law & Order] Ishwar Singh, Director General of Police [Intelligence] Dinkar Gupta and Additional Director General of Police [STF] HS Sidhu as members.”
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