Congress MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring raised the issue of vaping trend among schoolchildren and the failure of the government to address it, during his speech in Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The Indian Express had recently highlighted the issue in its report titled “Vaping in classrooms in Ludhiana schools a cause for concern among parents, teachers”, which the MP referred to during his speech in Parliament.
The report had highlighted how children were having easy access to addictive vaping devices in Ludhiana despite the ban, how students as young as 13 were “vaping” and even bringing the e-cigarette devices to schools.
Vaping is the use of e-cigarettes or other devices that let one breathe in nicotine or other drugs as vapour rather than smoke. Even as these devices are banned for sale in Punjab and across the country, children are easily buying them online as well as offline via local suppliers and tobacco shops. According to the doctors, vaping can damage lungs, brain cells, cause respiratory issues, anxiety, and behavioural issues, among others.
Warring, also the Punjab Congress president, also raised the issue of drugs along with vaping in the state.
“As if drugs were not enough, our youth are now being engulfed in the smoke produced by vaping and e-cigarettes.
Children as young as 13 are addicted to vaping with teachers in schools catching students abusing substances. How are these banned products being sold so easily?” said Warring, while referring to the report and vape addiction among youths.
Opening his address with a tribute to mothers, Warring said, “Every mother carries her child in her womb for nine months, endures so much pain, and protects the child from the whole world. In return, she just wishes that her child should give her a shoulder when she dies. But the sad thing is that in Punjab, our mothers are having to give a shoulder to their children. These drugs are eating away our youth, and we are all unable to do anything about it.”
Warring criticised the central government’s inadequate efforts and lack of budget allocation to combat the drug crisis. He asked, “Where is the progress of the country? This BJP government which claims to have made India a big economy, is not doing anything about the malady which is killing our future and destroying the nation. Nothing special was shown in the Union Budget for the prevention of drugs. What future does India have without its youth?”
Drawing attention to the BSF jurisdiction expansion in Punjab, Warring explained, “On October 13, 2021, the jurisdiction of the BSF was increased from 15 to 50 km, covering a large part of Punjab. The Congress strongly opposed this move as a number of residential areas came under the 50-km jurisdiction. But what happened then? Today, the drug menace has increased four folds than two years ago.”
He further said, “The Centre talks big but does not work. The BJP has been at the Centre for more than 10 years. In every election, they talk about ending drug menace. This is not just a state matter. Punjab shares a 425-km border with Pakistan. Some time ago in Gujarat 3,300 kg of drugs valued at around Rs 2,000 crore was seized. Even before this, drugs worth Rs 21,000 crore were seized from an Adani port, but perhaps because of Adani ji’s name, the government remained silent. These are numbers of what was seized. What about the drugs which were not seized? Those are the drugs which find their way into households in Punjab and destroy our youth and our families.”
He also highlighted the inconsistent statements of BJP leaders regarding drug control measures. “BJP minister Ravneet Bittu ji says that he will open NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) offices in every district of Punjab. Union Home Minister Amit Shah ji said in his election speech that we will eliminate drug addiction from Punjab. But how? Where is the provision in the Budget to do the same? With no mention of Punjab in the Union Budget, how can we expect any help from the central government to save our youth?”
Concluding his speech, Warring warned that the drug problem is not just confined to Punjab but is spreading across the country. “The drugs are not just eating away Punjab like termites; it is spreading in the entire country. The government will have to be serious about this, and the first step for the same is to make provisions for eradication of drugs in the Budget.”
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