Volunteer initiative launched to tackle drug abuse across 300 Haryana villages

The Haryana Professional Forum and Jind Social Forum have launched a voluntary initiative across 300 villages in Haryana’s Jind district to tackle drug abuse and improve rural young people’s access to education, career guidance and skill training.

The initiative, called the “Panchgama Vikas Model”, was launched at Chaudhary Ranbir Singh University in Jind on Sunday (October 11, 2026).

Conceived by Chandigarh Director-General of Police Sagar Preet Hooda, the programme is non-political and is being implemented by a network of volunteers with roots in Haryana.

A five-member team for every cluster

Under the model, the 300 villages have been divided into 60 clusters, with five villages in each cluster.

Each cluster will have 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 cluster lead will preferably be a professional from outside the cluster, such as a doctor, engineer or professor.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Hooda said the model would bring educated professionals, businesspersons and other resourceful people into efforts to help rural communities access opportunities in education, employment and skill development.

“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.

He said the initiative would depend on voluntary contributions of time, money and skills rather than financial incentives.

Addressing the information gap

The programme will focus on the information gap faced by rural youth in understanding career options, entrance examinations, educational institutions and skill training.

Its scope will also include sports, fitness and mentorship, alongside efforts to address drug abuse and the growing trend of young people taking the illegal ‘dunki’ route to migrate abroad.

The organisers’ approach is based on connecting young people with information, guidance and existing opportunities rather than directly offering them jobs or financial assistance.

The model is also intended to bring local residents into the process of identifying the needs of their villages and guiding young people towards suitable educational and career opportunities.

Smart libraries planned across villages

The initiative plans to establish smart libraries by upgrading existing government libraries and encouraging communities to set up new ones.

The proposed libraries will be equipped with books, computers and internet connectivity.

They are expected to function as centres for career guidance and lectures by experts.

Mr. Hooda said that a network of libraries across the 300 villages could enable an expert to reach 6,000 children in a single session, with 20 students participating from each village.

The cluster teams will approach individuals and institutions willing to donate books and computers.

They will then connect donors directly with villages that require these resources.

“There is no shortage of resources in our State or country. The challenge is to identify and mobilise them effectively,” Mr. Hooda said.

Focus on drug abuse and migration

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, or community vigils, to catch suspected drug users and peddlers.

The inclusion of drug abuse in the programme’s focus places the community-led model within a wider concern about the spread of the problem in the State.

The programme’s focus on education, career guidance, skill training, sports, fitness and mentorship is also linked to its effort to guide young people towards opportunities.

Jind as the starting point

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.

He said children across villages should be treated as everyone’s responsibility.

The model could be extended to other parts of Haryana once it stabilised in Jind.

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.

Source: The Hindu