In Lucknow there are 22,000 registered drug addicts. However, the number is constantly increasing as the city continues to have a thriving market of illegal drugs. Most of the addicts are from poor families with a meager income. They money they earn is entirely spent on buying drugs which is easily available in the market with Rs 50 a dose.
Most of the youths use heroin, however, in Mawaiya cannabis, opium and other sedatives and painkillers are also sold openly without a prescription.
According to Gunjan, drug addiction is a growing problem in her community and though the police claim to be controlling the sale of drugs, no change is visible. The easy availability of drugs is the proof of that. Gunjan feels that instead of targeting the drug sellers, the police keeps chasing the addicts which is the wrong way to address the problem. She wants the police to crack the drug sellers racket, so the youths of her community can find it easy to stay off drugs.
Families forced to live in Shanties
The Community Correspondent (CC) Harishankar found that in Sarvahanpur village of Biswan Block, Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh, around 80 families are not getting the benefits of PMAY Rural.
Shopian Village Struggles for Clean Drinking Water
The ‘Heff Khuri’ village of Shopian, Kashmir Valley is a microcosm of the water shortage issues the whole Kashmir is facing now. The villagers over there are dependent on smaller streams for a long time now, for their drinking water.