Community-led model to tackle drug abuse in 300 Haryana villages

A community-led initiative to tackle drug abuse and improve rural youth’s access to education, career guidance and skill training was launched in 300 villages of Haryana’s Jind district on Sunday (October 11, 2026) under the “Panchgama Vikas Model”.

Conceived by Chandigarh Director-General of Police Sagar Preet Hooda, the voluntary, non-political initiative has been launched by the Haryana Professional Forum and Jind Social Forum, a network of volunteers with roots in Haryana.

Speaking at the launch event at Chaudhary Ranbir Singh University in Jind, Mr. Hooda said the model sought to mobilise educated professionals, businesspersons and other resourceful people to help rural communities access opportunities in education, employment and skill development.

Under the model, the 300 villages have been divided into 60 clusters of five villages each. Every cluster has a designated lead and a five-member team responsible for identifying local needs, engaging residents and guiding young people towards educational and career opportunities. The lead is preferably a professional, such as a doctor, engineer or professor, from outside the cluster.

“We are not here to offer money or jobs. We are here to give people our time and guide them towards opportunities,” Mr. Hooda said, emphasising that the initiative would rely on voluntary contributions of time, money and skills rather than financial incentives.

The programme will focus on bridging the information gap among rural youth about career options, entrance examinations, educational institutions and skill training. It will also promote sports, fitness and mentorship, besides seeking to address drug abuse and the growing trend of young people taking the illegal ‘dunki’ route to migrate abroad.

The initiative plans to establish smart libraries by upgrading existing government libraries and encouraging communities to set up new ones. Equipped with books, computers and internet connectivity, these libraries will serve as centres for career guidance and lectures by experts.

Mr. Hooda said a network of libraries across the 300 villages could help an expert reach 6,000 children in a single session, with 20 students participating from each village. The teams would approach individuals and institutions willing to donate books and computers and connect them directly with villages that need these resources.

“There is no shortage of resources in our State or country. The challenge is to identify and mobilise them effectively,” he said, adding that the model could be extended to other parts of Haryana once it stabilised in Jind.

Explaining the choice of Jind as the starting point, Mr. Hooda said the initiative sought to move beyond the mindset of restricting social responsibility to one’s own village. Children across villages, he said, should be treated as everyone’s responsibility.

Drug abuse remains a major concern in Haryana, with the problem spreading beyond areas bordering Punjab and Rajasthan. In several villages, residents have resorted to thikri pehras (community vigils) to catch suspected drug users and peddlers.

Jind Deputy Commissioner Vaishali Sharma was also present at the launch. Members of the cluster teams held meetings in their respective villages earlier in the day.