Punjab: ‘Yuva Sanjh’ initiative brought change in the lives of 32 people

Punjab: Thanks to constant intervention and counselling under the police-led ‘Yuva Sanjh’ initiative, 32 young persons, who were earlier involved in various anti-social activities, have now turned their lives around and are living peacefully. The initiative helped these youths to stay away from criminal activities and rejoin mainstream society. Seven of the 32 persons were involved in drug trafficking while the other ten were battling drug addiction. Two were heavily influenced by radical ideologies, posing a threat to communal harmony. Ten others were spreading controversial content on social media, causing unrest among the youth. The remaining three had links with notorious criminal gangs.

The turnaround was not easy and required constant counselling at various levels for over 15 months. However, all the 32 youths have now either found employment or started small businesses. One person who once promoted radical views on social media has also managed to get a government job and is now a complete change. Speaking to The Tribune, SSP Saumya Mishra stressed that punitive measures are not always the solution. “We need policies that address the root causes of crime,” she said. “Our Constitution itself emphasises the importance of counselling for offenders. Keeping this in mind, we launched this initiative in May 2023 and over the past several months, we have been successful in bringing at least some of these youths on the right path.” SSP Mishra also lauded the efforts of the team behind the ‘Yuva Saanjh’ initiative, which includes team leader Gurbhej Singh (in-charge of Yuva Saanjh Centre), Varinder Kumar (Ferozepur Urban), Gurmeet Singh (Ferozepur Rural) and Navtej Singh (Guruharsahai). “Their hard work has been remarkable in de-radicalising some youths and motivating others to give up drug trafficking,” she said. The programme also benefited from the support of psychologists from the Civil Hospital, Dr Rachna Mittal, Dr Mandeep Kumar and other counsellors, who regularly interacted with the youth to help them overcome addiction and criminal thinking. Additionally, the youth were given vocational training to teach them skills that would enable them to start their own business or find employment. “All these efforts are now yielding positive results,” the SSP said. He added that the involvement of the youth’s families in the process was crucial to provide them with the necessary emotional support. The ‘Yuva Saanjh’ initiative is a powerful example of how comprehensive rehabilitation and support can transform lives and help individuals rejoin society as responsible, contributing citizens.