By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 19 Dec: Education Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat today said that with the aim of making Uttarakhand a drug free state, ‘Drug Free Devbhoomi by 2025 Abhiyan’ campaign would be launched soon across the state. He added that under this campaign, public awareness programmes would be organised every month in educational institutions, public places, orphanages, district jails and government offices. He also asserted that ‘Anti–drugs Cell’ will have to be constituted mandatorily in all educational institutions soon.
He also noted that the state government would soon bring in an Anti–Drugs and Rehabilitation Policy. The draft was being in this connection by the Health Department, for which all the departments concerned have been asked to give suggestions within two weeks.
Dr Dhan Singh Rawat today chaired a marathon meeting in this regard at the FRDC Auditorium located at the Secretariat. Rawat said that the state government has set a target of making Uttarakhand a drug free state by the year 2025. Soon an Anti–Drugs and Rehabilitation Policy would come into existence. The Health and Family Welfare Department has been made the nodal department for this campaign in the state. Departments of police, social welfare, labour, service planning and skill development, school education, higher education, technical education, agricultural education and Ayush education have also been included in the campaign. Rawat said that under the campaign, every month from the state to the block level, public awareness programme would be organised in government and private schools, colleges, private higher educational institutions, universities, public places, district jails, orphanages and government offices about the side effects of drugs. The gram panchayats, area panchayats, district panchayats, municipal bodies would also be included in the campaign. The Health Minister said that along with the campaign, proper arrangements would be made for the rehabilitation of the youth who had fallen prey to drugs, under which counsellors and psychiatrists would be deployed along with upgrading the psychiatric hospitals of the state government. Along with this, rehabilitation work will also be carried out in earnest through the NGOs working in this area. Along with this, it would be mandatory to register such NGOs with the State Mental Health Authority so that the work being done by them could be monitored from time to time.
The Health Minister said that for the rehabilitation and treatment of such youth, free medicines, counselling through tele-manas has also been made available. Director General of Police Ashok Kumar said that rehabilitation centres be set up in every district, along with provision of punitive action should also be made against those who are involved in this business. Along with this, it was necessary to make rules for the NGOs working in this field with the help of the government, so that action could be taken against those NGOs which did not work properly after taking the help of the government. In the meeting, Secretary Agriculture Education BVRC Purushottam said that the provisions which were being prepared to prevent drugs in higher educational institutions ought to be implemented in all government educational institutions as well as private educational institutions.
The Health Secretary informed that the draft of the Anti–Drugs and Rehabilitation Policy was in its final stage of preparation. The suggestions received from various sources in this regard would be considered in right earnest and then the draft would be finalised and tabled before the cabinet for approval.
During this, on behalf of the Health Department, Dr Mayank Badola also gave a presentation through a power point regarding drugs and its side effects.
Director General of Police Uttarakhand Ashok Kumar, Secretary Agriculture BVRC Purushottam, ADG V Murugesan, Secretary Health R Rajesh Kumar, Additional Secretary Agriculture Ranveer Singh Chauhan, Additional Secretary Social Welfare Karmendra Singh, Director General School Education Banshidhar Tiwari, Additional Secretary Health Amandeep Kaur, Joint Director Higher Education Dr A. S. Uniyal, Drug Controller Tajbar Negi, Neeraj Kumar along with officers from Labour and Skill Development, Social Welfare and Technical Education were present.
