Proposal submitted to the Ministry of Social Justice, buildings identified
NGO selection process to be finalized soon
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, 21st January: As drug addiction is negatively affecting the social fabric at an alarming rate, the Union Territory Government of Jammu and Kashmir has approached the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the establishment of drug treatment centers in 10 districts. as part of the national drug demand reduction action plan.
Official sources have told EXCELSIOR that in view of the alarming increase in drug abuse in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Department of Social Welfare, on the instructions of Councilor RR Bhatnagar, has officially contacted the Ministry of Social Justice and Union Empowerment with the request for the establishment of drug treatment centers in these neighborhoods, considered hotbeds of drug trafficker activity.
“The ministry conceded the J&K government’s proposal and provided all possible assistance under the National Drug Demand Reduction Action Plan. Even one building in 10 districts has been identified by the government for the establishment of a drug rehabilitation centre,” sources said.
They informed that the J&K government is only required to provide the buildings, while all other facilities will be established by the ministry directly or by providing sufficient funding to the J&K government administration. “At present, the process of selecting non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to run these full-fledged drug treatment centers is taking place at the ministry level in accordance with the provisions of the program,” the sources added.
This is the first time that serious efforts have been made by the administration to make drug treatment facilities available on such a large scale, as the previous government never paid serious attention to this important aspect of reducing the impact of the threat.
“The National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction is a framework program in which all projects, components and interventions have converged and are being implemented in a targeted manner with flexible use of allocated funds and human resources committed to the program, which is effective from April 1, 2020,” the sources said.
Revealing that the establishment of a drug rehabilitation center is one of the main areas of action in the national action plan, they said that under the program, the Union Ministry provides financial assistance to drug treatment clinics for outpatients, while for inpatients, it provides operation and maintenance assistance. integrated drug rehabilitation centers, also known as detox centres.
“Rehab centers will provide services for drug addict identification, motivational counselling, detox/detox and whole person recovery, after care and reintegration into the mainstream,” the sources said, adding “If a drug treatment center provides treatment to less than 75% of their targeted annual beneficiaries, financial assistance will be stopped in the following fiscal year and that center will be removed from the program”.
In response to a query, sources said that procedural formalities will be completed in the coming months and hopefully by June this year, 10 drug addiction treatment centers will be made operational to provide much needed assistance to the administration to counter the threat.
“There is no doubt that some drug rehabilitation centers are run by the Jammu and Kashmir police in some areas, but considering the intensity of the situation, there is a need to establish drug rehabilitation centers in at least 10 districts, because the same game plays an important role in freeing drug addicts from addiction,” the sources said.
A few days ago, EXCELSIOR had exclusively pointed out that the districts of Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Udhampur in this region and Anantnag and Srinagar in the Kashmir valley have turned into hotbeds of drug addiction as more than 26,000 kilograms of narcotics and over 4.58 lakh of intoxicants of various types were sized by various wings of Jammu and Kashmir Police in the year 2020.
EXCELSIOR had also pointed out that in view of the alarming situation, the proposal to establish exclusive tribunals to handle cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPSA) needed to be approved by all relevant government departments. as soon as possible. for the early handling of cases strictly on the basis of professional investigation will do much to discourage those who thrive at the expense of the health and future of young people.
