Maharashtra to be made narcotics-free: Fadnavis

Mumbai, June 17 : In a significant announcement, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said that the BJP-Shiv Sena is working towards making Maharashtra a narcotics-free state.

According to him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have taken several initiatives at the national and international level to combat the menace of drugs and psychotropic substances.

Fadnavis, who is also the state Home Minister, said that the government plans to make the laws related to narcotics more stringent.

“The menace of psychotropic drugs is spreading and hence stringent laws are necessary,” he said.

Fadnavis was accompanied by state Tourism and Women and Child development Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha.

Fadnavis was the chief guest at the function to felicitate Acharya Shri Mahashraman of the Jain Terapanth sect who has come to Mumbai for this year’s Chaturmas. The function was held at the NESCO Grounds at Goregaon in Mumbai.

Chaturmas is the four-month monsoon period during which Jain ascetics stay in one place to reduce the risk of accidentally killing insects and other small forms of life which thrive during the rains.

Acharaya Mahashraman Pravas Vyavastha Samiti’s President Madanlal Tated, Convenor B C Bhalawat;chief manager Manohar Gokharu and General Secretaries – Surendra Kothari; and Mahesh Bafna were present.

It may be mentioned, Acharya Mahashraman arrived in Mumbai after completing a long and arduous foot journey spanning across 55,000-km spreading across 22 other states in India and neighbouring countries of Nepal and Bhutan.

This is after a gap of two decades that Acharya Mahashraman is visiting Mumbai.

The intention of this year’s Chaturmas is to spread the message of social welfare and de-addiction.

“Along with economic, material, social development, there should be an effort to develop morality and he said that non-violence, in whose life there is austerity, that is the real religion,” he said.

Quoting Chanakya, the legendary teacher, author, strategist, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal advisor, Fadnavis said: “Chanakya had once said that one does not always need to fight a war to defeat someone but to ensure that they become addicts. Their addiction will prevent them from paying attention to the job they undertake.”

Prominent among those present include Sukhraj Nahar from Jeeto, Vinay Jain from Goregaon Sports Club, KC Jain from Digambar Jain Samaj, CC Dangi from Bharat Jain Mahamandal, MP Gopal Shetty, former minister Raj K Purohit, MLA Geeta Jain, former MLA Narendra Mehta, Mohan Kheda, Prithviraj Kothari from Teerth, Nilesh Shah from Kotak Finance, Sachin Agarwal from Agroha Vikas Trust, Dr. Gautam Bhansali.