Punjab’s notoriety for widespread drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions, even spawning films like Udta Punjab. When Additional DGP Harpreet Singh Sidhu was made chief of the state’s Special Task Force on Drugs, he knew that crackdown alone won’t be enough to counter this menace.
Supplementing government intervention and official efforts, he launched a novel initiative of self-monitoring drug abuse prevention programme, named ‘Buddy’, about two years back — during his first stint as STF chief — which has become the world’s largest such programme with 38 lakh members.
‘Buddy’ has been successfully targeting students in schools, colleges, universities and technical institutions across the state for self-monitoring and generating awareness on drug abuse.
Classroom initiative
This programme involves principals, teachers, students and their parents. Led by class teachers, it penetrates every classroom from Class VI upwards with each group having five children. The initiative is supervised by the principals and district education officers.
The skills developed in a ‘Buddy’ under this programme are the ability to stand up for one’s right, to say ‘no’ effectively, to discuss disagreements without fear or anger, the ability to identify and modify negative and irrational thoughts, to select the most appropriate opinion, to solve challenges and problems objectively and to evaluate oneself positively.
“This programme, which is a cost-free local model, was designed as we knew that by curtailing the drug supply alone one cannot tackle this menace since it is essential to reduce the demand for drugs and that can only be done if the future generations are made aware and prevented from becoming victims of this menace. The aim is to inculcate a spirit of healthy living in the youth. Positive peer pressure is utilised to ensure that one does not fall in the trap of drug use at an early age, during which one is most vulnerable as rational thinking has not developed by then. Thus, students from the age of 13 years onwards are targeted by this prevention programme,” said Sidhu.
“It is an innovative programme that matches the resources available to the solution in a suitable manner. As we did not have thousands of counsellors, we requested class teachers to take up the responsibility. Whatever achievements are there have been possible due to the immense work done by 1.26 lakh senior ‘buddies’ who are class teachers, the nodal officers and the principals? They are doing selfless service without getting any monetary or other benefits. Their dedication is commendable and is protecting the future generations of the state,” said the 1992-batch IPS officer of Punjab cadre.
Under the programme, students are placed in groups of five each so that those who are academically stronger help the weaker ones. Positive peer influence is the foundation of the programme, said Sidhu.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed that 40-60 minutes should be given to the programme per week in all schools, government and private.
District guidance counsellor of Gurdaspur, Parminder Singh said, “As ‘buddy’ groups have been formed, children have started communicating with and helping each other...Now, if a student is depressed he tells the others and they cheer him up. Each class has five to eight groups.
"The impact of the programme is that the students go back home and tell their loved ones not to indulge in drug abuse or drinking,” said Dilbagh Singh Cheema a social activist.
Vinni Duggal, a school principal in Mohali, said, “With this programme, the bonding between students has improved... all of them share their problems...their emotional stability has increased.”