Chandigarh : Earlier this month, the Punjab Cabinet decided to merge the Punjab Skill Development Mission with the Department of Employment Generation and Training to enhance the employability of the youth.
In a new initiative, the Punjab government plans to enroll drug addicts and physically challenged pensioners in various skills programmes together to “wean away the former from drugs and to make the latter more self-reliant”. While the differently abled people may not see why they are being bunched with the addicts, the government has made up its mind.
It was during a meeting to discuss the campaign against drugs on May 16 that the authorities decided to club the two. A government functionary who was present at this meeting on May 16, said, “Initially it was proposed that drug addicts be enrolled in skill development courses to make them employable and self-reliant so that they don’t fall prey to drugs. We were deliberating upon it when someone suggested that disability pensioners should also take up skill development courses.”
As per the decision taken in the meeting and recorded officially, it was decided to “apprise the patients at OOAT (Outpatient Opioid Assisted Therapy) centres and private de-addiction centres and physically challenged persons getting pension from Social Security department about such skill programmes”. Afterwards, as per the decision, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) and Principal Secretary, Social Security department, would send the “details of willing candidates to Anti-drug campaign nodal officer”. Subsequently, anti-drug campaign nodal officer will send this detail to Punjab Skill Development Mission (PSDM) field staff who will contact the willing candidates to enrol them in such programs.
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Earlier this month, the Punjab Cabinet decided to merge the Punjab Skill Development Mission with the Department of Employment Generation and Training to enhance the employability of the youth.
The meeting held on May 16 decided to “motivate the (drug addict) patients and physically challenged persons” to enroll in skills programmes. An official who attended the meeting said health department has been directed to do “mapping” and “profiling” of the areas and the drug addicts to finalise the courses which would be offered to the addicts. The official said that unemployment was considered one of the major reasons behind drug abuse. “By equipping them with skills at the centres at local level, the government wants to make them self reliant and in the process wean them away from drugs,” said the official.
The government plans to “motivate” all the “1.6 lakh drug addicts who have visited OOAT centres and private de-addiction centres to join skill development courses”. Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Satish Chandra, when contacted, said that an exercise was on to enrol drug addicts in skill development programmes.
Social Security, Women and Child Development Principal Secretary Raji P Srivastava, who did not participate in the anti-drugs campaign meeting, said field officer of the department were identifying willing pensioners for skill development courses. She, however, said that it was a separate exercise of the department with no link with drug addicts being identified for such courses. But the minutes of the meeting clearly mention that Additional Chief Secretary (Health) and Principal Secretary, Social Security department, would send the “details of willing candidates to Anti-drug campaign nodal officer.” The disabled are given a pension of Rs 750 a month in the state.
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