Srinagar: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting to review a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for victims of drug abuse, aimed at providing long-term treatment, social reintegration and livelihood support across Jammu and Kashmir.
The rehabilitation framework has been prepared by the Social Welfare Department in consultation with various government departments and stakeholders.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary Finance Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary Home Chandraker Bharti, Commissioner Secretary General Administration Department, Commissioner Secretary Social Welfare Department, Commissioner Secretary School Education Department, Director Colleges, State Informatics Officer NIC and other senior officials.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary stressed the need for a practical and result-oriented rehabilitation strategy capable of delivering tangible outcomes on the ground. He directed that the plan be further refined through consultations with all concerned departments and civil society stakeholders, particularly professionals from the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) and Psychiatry Departments of Government Medical Colleges.
Atal Dulloo emphasized the importance of patient mentors in the rehabilitation process and said such mentors should possess basic qualifications and undergo specialised training at IMHANS.
He called for the creation of a dedicated pool of trained mentors, with at least 30 to 40 resource persons identified in each district to support the long-term rehabilitation initiative.
The Chief Secretary said a cadre of professionally trained mentors would form the backbone of the programme and stressed that their responsibilities should be clearly defined according to the needs of individual patients to ensure sustained rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
He also directed officials to devise an incentive mechanism to motivate mentors engaged in the programme.
Highlighting the importance of livelihood generation, Dulloo stressed the need to dovetail various government schemes to provide rehabilitated individuals with skill development opportunities, self-employment support and avenues to resume education in schools and colleges.
He further directed the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to develop a dedicated digital portal for long-term monitoring of the rehabilitation process and stabilization of affected individuals.
Calling for a comprehensive framework with clearly defined responsibilities for each department and stakeholder, the Chief Secretary asked officials to work out the financial implications and expected outcomes of the programme in detail.
Additional Chief Secretary Finance Shailendra Kumar suggested categorising patients based on the severity of addiction so that rehabilitation interventions could be tailored accordingly. He also proposed exploring Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding and government support mechanisms for effective implementation of the programme.
Principal Secretary Home Chandraker Bharti emphasized the need for a rehabilitation structure based on ground-level realities and said the programme should address the specific needs and challenges faced by victims and their families instead of merely replicating conventional government schemes.
Earlier, Commissioner Secretary Social Welfare Sarmad Hafeez gave a detailed presentation on the proposed rehabilitation plan.
He informed the meeting that Jammu and Kashmir is emerging as the first region in the country to work on a structured long-term rehabilitation model for drug abuse victims that focuses not only on treatment but also on stabilization, social inclusion and prevention of relapse.
The proposed three-year framework includes treatment and stabilization, followed by reintegration, livelihood generation, post-care monitoring and social inclusion.
He also outlined the proposed monitoring mechanism at the Union Territory, divisional and district levels to ensure effective implementation of the programme.
