SRINAGAR, Aug 24: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Monday reviewed preparedness for the Phase-I rollout of the Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Scheme for Drug Abuse Victims, 2026, and directed the Social Welfare Department to ensure early commencement of the pilot project.
The pilot programme is proposed to be launched at IMHANS Srinagar, Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs) in Jammu and Kathua, and in Budgam district. It aims to test the rehabilitation model, identify operational gaps and refine standard operating procedures before its expansion across Jammu and Kashmir.
During the meeting, attended by senior officials from the Home, Health and Medical Education and Social Welfare departments, Dulloo reviewed infrastructure, manpower availability, capacity-building initiatives and development of a digital monitoring mechanism for beneficiaries.
He directed the Social Welfare Department to coordinate implementation of the programme and simultaneously identify manpower and infrastructure requirements for its eventual expansion to other districts.
Emphasising the need for effective coordination, the Chief Secretary said the success of the programme would depend on the commitment of all stakeholders, including medical officers, counsellors, case managers, ASHA workers and self-help group members.
Dulloo also reviewed training initiatives undertaken by IMHANS Srinagar and directed the institute to continue capacity-building programmes across districts to create a skilled workforce for rehabilitation services.
He further asked the National Informatics Centre (NIC) to expedite development of the Rehabilitation Monitoring Portal, which will provide confidential digital case management through unique digital identities assigned to beneficiaries.
The meeting was informed that the portal will facilitate assessment, treatment, counselling, rehabilitation planning, vocational support and follow-up while enabling real-time coordination among departments.
Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Sarmad Hafeez, briefed the meeting on the implementation framework, manpower requirements, site readiness and digital monitoring mechanism for the pilot project.
The meeting also discussed a proposed collaboration with the National Drug De-addiction and Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS New Delhi, to strengthen addiction psychiatry services in J&K through training, mentoring and research initiatives.
Head of IMHANS Srinagar, Dr Arshad Hussain, informed the meeting that training modules for different categories of personnel had been developed and several batches had already been trained. He said the ongoing capacity-building exercise would create adequate trained manpower within the next two to three months.
Officials said over 300 frontline workers, including ASHA workers, SHG representatives and teachers, have already been trained under the first phase of the Circle of Care programme, while the next phase aims to cover more than 1,000 participants across J&K.
The meeting also reviewed plans to train at least one teacher in every higher secondary school and college as an institution-based counsellor for prevention, early identification and referral of substance-use disorders.
The pilot programme is expected to provide operational learning for strengthening the rehabilitation framework before its implementation across the Union Territory.
