Punjab Outlook

Chandigarh  ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ): Bharatiya Janata Party state vice president and former MLA Arvind Khanna criticized the Punjab government for failing to deliver on its promise to make the state drug-free in three months. He alleged that the government, now three years into its term, is using new gimmicks to mask its shortcomings. In a statement issued today, Khanna said that rather than curbing drug abuse, the current government’s tenure has emboldened drug peddlers. He pointed out the latest initiative of collaborating with an NGO, Narcotics Anonymous (NA), to run a drug eradication campaign. According to Khanna, counselors already working in government-run OAT (Opioid Assisted Treatment) clinics can perform similar tasks, making the new initiative redundant. He criticized the government for wasting time on superficial solutions instead of addressing the root causes of drug abuse. He added that three years have been spent on hollow promises and ineffective planning, further delaying meaningful action. Commenting on health policies, Khanna accused the government of misleading the public. He cited the example of Aam Aadmi Clinics, where highly qualified doctors were hired on daily wages, leading to dissatisfaction and mass resignations. He also criticized the Chief Minister’s claim of increasing the salaries of doctors with five years of service to match those of SMOs, stating that such increments occur naturally over time, and salaries would reach that level regardless. Khanna said the people of Punjab have realized that the Aam Aadmi Party government offers little more than empty advertisements and exaggerated claims.