Shimla, Feb. 1 -- The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to amend the Panchayati Raj Act to debar persons involved in chitta cases from contesting Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) elections.

Reiterating its commitment to zero tolerance to drugs, rural development minister Anirudh Singh said the state government has prepared a draft amendment after taking legal opinion from the law department, and the proposal will be brought in the upcoming assembly session.

Already governor Shiv Pratap Shukla has questioned the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government's proposal to bar individuals allegedly involved in drug-related cases from contesting the panchayat elections saying "such a move would fail judicial scrutiny".

"The state go...