Chandigarh:
The Indian Army is now conducting on-the-spot drug tests for candidates at its recruitment camps all over the country, similar to the ones carried out in its camps in Punjab.
Over the past two years, the Army has standardized dope tests for candidates appearing for physical tests at recruitment camps. As part of the standard procedure, each candidate is required to give his blood sample, which is tested on the spot. Those who test positive are not only debarred from appearing at such camps, they are also handed over to the local police.
"Majority of those who test positive consume performance enhancement drugs to meet the physical standards needed by the army. They have to clear certain drills, including running, for which some of them consume these drugs, which are available in the form of capsules," said an official with the Army Recruitment Board in Punjab.
"But the number of positive tests is going down. Most of the boys are now aware of dope tests so they refrain from (using) it, which is a good sign," he added.
The practice - which initially started in the four recruitment zones of Punjab-Patiala, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Ludhiana - is now in practice in all the recruitment zones of the Army, from Rajasthan to Jammu and Kashmir.
These states are prone to drug abuse, given the easy availability of drugs in the villages close to the international border along Pakistan.
Punjab is reportedly used as a route for cross-border drug smuggling and is suspected to be a favoured destination for heroin from Afghanistan via Pakistan. From here, the drug is trafficked to Europe, United States and Australia by smugglers.
The drug menace in Punjab was one of the issues brought up by opposition parties during the recent Lok Sabha polls. The ruling Akali Dal-BJP alliance has been under fire for its alleged soft handling of the issue, but the government has been blaming the Border Security Force and the Centre for their alleged failure to stop cross-border drug trafficking.