Rahul Gandhi was right, Punjab youth in the grip of drugs
Monday, 19/08/2013
http://www.punjabnewsline.com/punjab/rahul-gandhi-was-right-punjab-youth-in-the-grip-of-drugs/85078
NEW DELHI/ CHANDIGARH: When Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi lamented about the scourge of drugs in Punjab last year, saying nearly seven out of 10 youth in the state suffered from an addiction problem, his statement was roundly panned by several state politicians. Punjab's Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal lampooned him for being out of touch.
But eight months later, the union home ministry has released data that shows Punjab as one of the country's worst affected states by narcotics, seeming backing the Congress scion's assertion.
ET has accessed a home Ministry report that puts heroin seizures in Punjab in the three years to end-March 2013 at 813.57 kg, which may be worth Rs 40,000 crore.
"Seizure of Heroin in Punjab was around 813 kgs while in Delhi around 180 kg. Most of the seizure made in Punjab was of South West Asian Origin that enters into India through Pakistan," the Home Ministry report says, based on inputs from the Narcotics Control Bureau.
Punjab has more seizures of heroin than all states put together and accounts for nearly 60% of the all-India seizures. At the second spot is Uttarakhand at 95 kgs, followed by Bihar at 69 kgs, according to the report. Heroin seizures in Punjab stood at 209 kilograms in 2011, 443 kg in 2012 and 200 kg during the present year to end-July, the ministry data shows.
