Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday said all drug de-addiction centres were fully functional across the Union territory and concrete steps are being taken to curb the menace.
Minister for Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo, made these remarks while replying to a question of legislator Surjeet Singh Salathia in the legislative assembly.
Itoo said all drug de-addiction centres are fully functional in J&K and have also been directed for fee regulation for affordable rehabilitation of victims.
The minister highlighted that the health and education departments along with law enforcement agencies are playing an active role to fight the menace of drug abuse in society.
She added that strict instructions have been issued to the heads of all educational institutions (colleges and schools) to install CCTVs in and around their campuses to check any kind of irregular activities.
Itoo also lauded the role of NGOs in dealing with this alarming situation across J&K, saying that their support is must for combating this social evil.
She said the government is taking concrete steps to curb the menace in the UT including awareness lectures and educational activities, establishment of de-addiction centres, outreach programmes in educational institutions and communities, panchayat-level awareness activities, door-to-door survey and identification as well as camps in hotspot areas.
The minister further said these camps are led by psychiatrists and counsellors to provide both preventive education and initial treatment support.
Commenting on the issue, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather advised the minister to take suggestions from a scientific document prepared by political representatives of a party, as it outlines effective and detailed measures for combating this social evil.
The minister informed the House that the government has already started working on this report, besides the topics related to drug addiction have already been made part of the curriculum.
