SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Tuesday inaugurated a Rehabilitation Centre for drug abuse victims at the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS), Srinagar, marking the launch of the Phase-I pilot of the Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Scheme for Drug Abuse Victims, 2026.
The centre has been established by the Social Welfare Department in coordination with the Health and Medical Education Department, district administration and other stakeholders to support rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals recovering from substance abuse.
Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education M. Raju, Commissioner Secretary Social Welfare Sarmad Hafeez, Principal Government Medical College Srinagar, Head IMHANS Dr Arshad Hussain and senior faculty members were present on the occasion.
After inaugurating the facility, Dulloo inspected various sections of the centre, including counselling rooms, group therapy spaces, patient and family support facilities and referral and emergency care arrangements.
He said the centre would serve as a practical mechanism for implementing the rehabilitation policy on the ground and expressed hope that lessons learned from the pilot project would help expand similar services to other districts of Jammu and Kashmir. He stressed the need for coordinated efforts among departments, healthcare institutions, district administrations and community stakeholders for the initiative’s success.
Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education M. Raju said the centre had been designed as a comprehensive support system extending beyond treatment and de-addiction to include rehabilitation, recovery, family participation and socio-economic reintegration.
Commissioner Secretary Social Welfare Sarmad Hafeez said the centre would provide a multidisciplinary support framework comprising medical assessment, counselling, social work intervention, family engagement, case management, referral services and follow-up care. He said an Individual Rehabilitation Plan would be prepared for each beneficiary.
According to officials, the rehabilitation model aims to support beneficiaries in rebuilding family and community relationships while facilitating access to education, skill development, livelihood opportunities and long-term social reintegration.
Head IMHANS Dr Arshad Hussain said the centre would coordinate with community-level stakeholders, including ASHA workers, self-help groups and other frontline functionaries, to extend rehabilitation services beyond institutional settings.
He added that the programme envisages a coordinated team of psychiatrists, medical officers, counsellors and social welfare officials, with a focus on training in screening, assessment, referral services, counselling, family engagement, case management and relapse-risk identification.
Officials said the centre would function as a link between clinical treatment and community-based rehabilitation, with emphasis on continuity of care after treatment and reducing the risk of relapse and social exclusion.
The scheme also includes collaboration with the National Drug De-addiction and Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS New Delhi, for training, mentoring, observership programmes and research in addiction psychiatry, opioid agonist treatment, dual-diagnosis management and rehabilitation interventions.
With IMHANS Srinagar serving as the nodal institution for the pilot project, the initiative is expected to provide a structured pathway for individuals recovering from substance abuse, from treatment and stabilisation to rehabilitation, reintegration and long-term recovery.
