900 cases registered under drugs act: Himachal CM

Shimla, June 29 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh is committed to ending drug abuse, and 900 cases have been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in the state in the past few years, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said Sunday.

He said drugs illegally cultivated in 5,000 bighas have been destroyed.

At the prize distribution ceremony of a half marathon organised by the state police, Virbhadra Singh said awareness events like these against drug abuse were a commendable effort.

Police launched a state-level campaign against drug abuse June 26, the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

"I am happy to learn that the campaign will also spread to educational institutions," the chief minister said.

He honoured the winners of the 21.5 km distance half marathon.

In the male category, Jitendar Singh won the first prize of Rs.25,000 followed by Ravinder Kumar and Devendar Singh who received cash prizes of Rs.15,000 and Rs.11,000, respectively.

In the women's category, Rooma led the race, followed by Supriya Patil and Amandeep Kaur and won similar cash prizes as their male counterparts.

The winners of the 10 km mini marathon were Sunil Prasad, Jagmal and Rahul in the male category, while Kavita Patel, Kanta Devi and Kiranjeet Kaur won in the women's category. They received cash prizes of Rs.11,000, Rs.7,500 and Rs.5,100, respectively.