Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Monday that as part of its crackdown against the drug menace, the state government would make it mandatory for every candidate to undergo a drug test before recruitment in any government job.Addressing a press conference here after chairing a meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD), Sukhu said the state government would make the drug test mandatory not just for recruitment in all government departments but also for students seeking admission to professional colleges.“The state government will launch the second phase of the anti-chitta awareness campaign from June 1 to August 20 in all government schools and colleges across the state,” he said.The CM said action had been taken against 123 employees and 31 police personnel. Among them, the services of 10 police personnel and 10 employees found involved in drug-related activities had been terminated. He said the 123 employees included 13 of the HPSEBL, 10 of the Education Department, nine of the Jal Shakti Vibhag, eight of the HRTC and six of the Forest Department.Sukhu said so far, around 12,000 individuals had been identified for suspected involvement in drug trafficking and special police and CID surveillance had been stepped up in 234 highly sensitive panchayats across the state.The CM said the government would ensure strict compliance by pharmaceutical companies regarding the manufacturing and distribution of medicines and any diversion of drugs would be viewed seriously. He said the licences of shops found selling medicines illegally would be cancelled.He said it had been decided to include numerical grading in the annual confidential reports of the deputy commissioners and the superintendents of police, based on their performance in tackling the drug menace and implementing the anti-chitta awareness campaign.He said the thrust would be on stepping up surveillance in 234 panchayats falling in the red zone. Under this initiative, 19 panchayats in Shimla, nine in Solan, 20 in Sirmaur, 26 in Baddi police district, 27 in Bilaspur, 14 in Hamirpur, 28 in Kullu, 24 in Mandi, 15 in Kangra, 13 in Chamba, 22 in Nurpur, seven in Dehra and 10 in Una district had been identified.Sukhu said since 2023, 6,811 cases had been registered under the NDPS Act, which was 33.18 per cent higher than during the previous government’s tenure. During this period, 10,357 accused had been arrested and 45,867 kg of narcotic substances, including chitta, seized.He said the STF examined over 700 cases and identified 300 cases for financial investigation and property freezing. So far, 76 illegal properties had been identified and demolition and eviction action had been taken in 17 cases.