People must join fight against drugs, gambling: Dr Zahid

NAWABGANJ, DINAJPUR, Sept 4: Social Welfare Minister Prof Dr AZM Zahid Hossain has called for a social movement against drugs and gambling, saying people must work alongside the administration and law enforcement agencies to tackle the problems.

“Those involved in wrongdoing may be powerful, but they can be defeated if everyone stands united,” he said.

The minister was speaking as the chief guest at a programme organised by the upazila administration at the Nawabganj Upazila Parishad auditorium around 11:00am on Friday.

He urged people to provide information to the administration and police about those involved in drug trading and drug abuse.

He also called for building social resistance against online and offline gambling.

At the programme, the minister inaugurated a fish fry release programme at different water bodies in the upazila.

He also distributed free summer onion seeds, chemical fertilisers and other agricultural inputs among farmers under a government agricultural incentive programme.

Financial assistance cheques were handed over to people with disabilities, poor but meritorious students, and distressed, helpless, sick, homeless and disabled people under programmes of the Social Welfare Ministry.

Selected disadvantaged women also received one-time financial assistance from the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.

Under the Prime Minister’s Office’s development assistance programme for special areas, bicycles were distributed among students from ethnic minority communities in the upazila.

Officials of different government departments, public representatives, beneficiaries and local dignitaries attended the programme.