CM launches ‘Drugs Free Uttarakhand Campaign’ at District Jail
By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 2 Feb: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, while inaugurating ‘Mission Drugs Free Devbhoomi’, at the District Jail, Suddhowala here, today, called upon the people of the state especially the youth to contribute towards making the state drugs free. He said that the Government has resolved to make Uttarakhand drugs free by 2025. For the accomplishment of this resolution, along with the government, society, youth, NGOs, celebrities, successful people and various social-educational institutions would have to come forward and work together. This campaign of the government had to be made a grand people’s campaign.
Dhami stressed that the youth should not only strongly resist any temptation for any type of intoxication but also strongly oppose the practice and also make other people aware about the side effects of drugs.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister also inaugurated the newly constructed Bakery Unit in the District Jail. He inspected the Computer Training Centre, Prison Ornament Exhibition, Handmade Exhibition by Women Prisoners, Vocational Training Centre in the District Jail, which is run by the Vedanta Foundation. The Chief Minister inquired about the well-being of the prisoners and asked them to adopt positive thinking. He said it is expected that the products manufactured in the jails would be available for sale in the local market in the future. Chief Minister Dhami gave a message over the Doon Jail Radio operated from there.
On this occasion, Chief Minister Dhami also announced that the name of the Prisons Department would be changed to “Prison Administration and Reforms Service” and Prisoner’s Cells would now be termed as Prisoners Reformation Home. A Reformation Service Wing would be set up as a separate service in the Prisons Department. While constituting the Prisoner Welfare Fund, a lump sum amount of Rs 1 crore would be provisioned in the fund. A monthly nutritious diet allowance of Rs 1,000 would be allowed to the prisoners. Uniform allowance would also be admissible to the Cadre of Prison Guards. A training centre for skill development programmes would be set up in the District Jail, Dehradun, for prisoner training and rehabilitation.
Dhami said that prison is also a part of the society. Prisoners ought to consider it as a place for their penance and reform and take a pledge to contribute to nation building by joining the mainstream of society with positive thinking in the future. He said that it is the government’s resolve that, in 2025, when the state would be celebrating the silver jubilee of its establishment, Uttarakhand would be completely drug free. The government has also resolved to make Uttarakhand a leading state in every field. He added that the prisons also housed many drug addicts, whose maintenance and care is a big challenge for the prison administration.
He emphasised that awareness on the drug free campaign should be in all the prisons of the state. It was commendable that under this campaign against drugs, a Drug De-addiction Centre has been started in the District Jail in collaboration with Subharti Medical College.
Dhami said the government had made a transparent permanent policy for premature release of life imprisonment inmates, which would make the prisoner eligible for release after completing 14 years of sentence. At present, the release of 160 prisoners is being considered under this policy. The prisoners were deprived of the last rites of their relatives after their death. The government has made an easier parole system as compared to other states. The government has made arrangements for immediate 24-hour parole for funeral rites and 15-day parole for post-death rites on the death in a prisoner’s family, he reminded the prisoners.
