'War Against Drugs' Comes to Schools; Mid-Day Meal Workers Not Paid

05
August
2025

Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal unveiled the anti-drug curriculum to be introduced in schools under War Against Drugs campaign with an aim to make 800K students aware about the menace of drugs at village Arinvala, Fazilka. Addressing the gathering, the AAP chief said a special syllabus is being introduced in all government schools for students from classes 9 to 12. School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said the curriculum will cover 3,658 schools and 6,500 trained teachers will deliver the program which has been developed in collaboration with Nobel Laureate Prof. Abhijit Banerjee’s J-PAL South Asia. It aims to equip students with the skills to avoid drug use and make informed decisions. The 27-week program consists of 35-minute interactive sessions held every two weeks. It uses documentaries, quizzes, posters, and group activities to bust myths, address peer pressure, and promote better decision-making strategies. Meanwhile, since 1 Jun, a total of 44,301 mid-day meal workers in schools have been unable to withdraw their monthly stipend of USD 34 following the Panjab govt’s decision to change their bank from State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, and Punjab and Sind Bank to only Canara Bank. Trade unions have termed this decision as 'bizarre and inexplicable'. While educating students is a good step, a bureaucratic reason to deny the workers their due but very low stipend demonstrates the govt apathy. Even on War Against Drugs, on 23 Jul, eight drug addicts escaped from a govt-run de-addiction center in Panjab’s Sangrur district after reportedly attacking a policeman and a nurse with steel plates during dinner time. The policeman, Malkeet Singh, was injured and is undergoing treatment at a hospital. He said, 'I was attacked on the neck, and they tried to strangle me, due to which I became unconscious. Many inmates tried to flee, but the staff managed to control some. A few still managed to escape (earlier coverage).

Photo by Hindustan Times

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