Active Community Participation Key to Combating Drug Abuse: Kuldeep Pathania
Nurpur, December 15: Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, Kuldeep Singh Pathania, emphasized the importance of active community participation in combating drug abuse across the state. Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony for a memorial dedicated to the children who lost their lives in the 2018 school bus accident in Gatla village, Pathania highlighted the government’s efforts and the need for society’s involvement to make the campaign against drugs successful.
Pathania stressed that empowering youth through sports can help steer them away from drug addiction. He stated that the government is committed to developing sports infrastructure at the grassroots level to nurture local talent.
During his visit, Pathania reviewed the progress of a children’s park and a sports ground being constructed in Gatla. He assured full support for their completion. Organized by the Jagriti Charitable Trust, Gram Panchayat Thehar, and the Baba Kialu Temple Committee, the event saw Pathania committing to the construction of a road leading to the memorial and a boundary wall for the children’s park. He also announced a grant of ₹2.5 lakh for initiatives undertaken by the trust and pledged continued support for future projects benefitting children.
Sukh Shiksha Yojana to Foster Holistic Child Development
Pathania also spoke about the recently launched Indira Gandhi Sukh Shiksha Yojana, aimed at prioritizing the education and overall development of children in Himachal Pradesh. Under the scheme, the government has distributed ₹1.38 crore to 5,145 beneficiaries during its two-year tenure celebration.
The scheme focuses on ensuring the education of 23,000 children belonging to widowed, destitute, divorced women, and differently-abled parents. Beneficiaries receive ₹1,000 per month for children under 18, along with financial assistance for higher education. This includes tuition and hostel fees for students pursuing undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma, or vocational courses. An annual budget of ₹53.21 crore has been allocated for the scheme, which aims to curb child exploitation and provide financial aid for the education of children from underprivileged families.
21-Foot Tower Memorial in Gatla
In memory of the tragic 2018 school bus accident in Nurpur’s Khawara village, where 23 children lost their lives, 10 of whom were from Gatla, the community has come together to honor the departed souls. A 21-foot tower will be built as part of the memorial to pay tribute to the children.
Indu Bala, Pradhan of Gram Panchayat Thehar, shared that the Jagriti Charitable Trust, along with local committees, has initiated several projects, including a community hall, children’s park, and a sports ground. The community hall is complete, while work on the sports ground is underway.
Dignitaries Present at the Event
The event was attended by SDM Gursimar Singh, DSP Vishal Verma, Executive Engineer Jal Shakti Anand Balouria, Deputy Commissioner of State Taxes and Excise Preetpal Singh, Managing Trustee of Jagriti Charitable Trust R.P.S. Walia, Trustee Shammi Chaudhary, Project Director of Jagriti Children Memorial and Sports Park Col. Ashok Thakur, Temple Committee Head Avtar Singh, and Pradhan of Thehar Panchayat Indu Bala, among others.
