A massive campaign will be launched in State against drug abuse:CM

A massive campaign will be launched in State against drug abuse:CM

            Vijyender Sharma

SHIMLA--- Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that State Government has accorded top priority for strictly dealing with drug abuse in the State and a massive campaign would also be launched to curb this social vice. He was presiding over the meeting regarding drug menace campaign here today.

            Chief Minister said that drug abuse had emerged as a global problem and our nation and state were no exception. He said that joint and earnest efforts were required for curbing this social vice.  He said that recently on his initiative a meeting was  held at Chandigarh where Chief Ministers of four neighbouring states and officers from three other states participated to chalk out a joint strategy to curb this social evil. It was decided in the meeting that joint inspections and regular checkups would be conducted by the police teams of Himachal, Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand etc. in the border areas. 

             Jai Ram Thakur said that the police should conduct frequent raids on suspected places so as to nab drug paddlers as it was vital to break the nexus between the drug paddlers, drug carriers and the drug addicts. He said that the parents should also keep an eye on their children so that any abnormal behavioural change could be noticed at the early stage. He said that a special awareness campaign would be launched in the educational institutions, particularly degree colleges to sensitise the students about ill effects of the drugs. 

            He said that departments such as Home, Health, Education, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Information and Public Relations and Social Justice would be involved in a big way to check this vice. He said that all these departments should nominate nodal officers for effective coordination with the other departments. He said that efforts should be made to frame stringent laws against drug peddling and drug abuse. He said that this would prove a major deterrent for the drug paddling. He said that laws should be farmed for confiscating the properties of drug paddlers which would prove a major deterrent. 

             Jai Ram Thakur said that it was unfortunate that conviction rate was low in the State as compared to the neighbouring states. He said that Police personnel must be trained so that serious case and charges could be framed against the drug paddlers. Health officers and health safety regulatory officers should seek information about manufacturing of schedule H-1 drugs in the state and where they do supply these drugs and in which quantity especially to the neighbouring states like Punjab and Haryana. He directed the drug inspectors to conduct regular inspections to check supply and sale of banned drugs in the state. 

            The Chief Minister said that the campaign against the drug abuse should be launched in a coordinated manner. The students and youths should be targeted specifically while chalking out any strategy for checking its global problem. He said that awareness regarding ill effects of drug abuse could be spread especially in morning assembly of schools. He said that Buddy System could also be launched in the colleges to identify students trapped in drug abuse and skits and documentaries should also be prepared on ill effects of drug abuse. 

            Jai Ram Thakur said that special focus should be laid on rehabilitation of drug addicts for which training to doctors, counsellors and other para-medical staff must be ensured for professionally manning de-addiction and rehabilitation centres. He said that more rehabilitation centres would be established in the State for de addiction of the drug addict. 

             Additional Chief Secretary Home Shri B.K. Aggarwal  said that a massive campaign would be launched to destroy cannabis in the State.  He said that public prosecutors i.e. Deputy District Attorneys and Additional District Attorneys should report the cases on behalf of drug inspectors pertaining to drugs and other cosmetics as drug inspectors remains busy in prosecution of their own cases.

             It was decided in the meeting that a massive awareness campaign would be launched throughout the State spreading awareness regarding ill effects of drug use. It was informed that Health, Police Departments and NGOs would coordinate to spread awareness campaign, particularly in educational institutions in the State. It was also decided to involve various NGOs, Mahila Mandals and Yuvak Mandals in a big way to curb this social evil. 

             It was also decided that the Information and Public Relations Department would effectively use electronic, print and social media to sensitise the people regarding ill-effects of drug abuse. 

             All the officers gave their valuable suggestions on the occasion.

             Chief Secretary Vineet Chawdhry, Additional Chief Secretary cum Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Dr Shrikant Baldi, Additional Chief Secretary Manisha Nanda, Additional Chief Secretary Nisha Singh, Principal Secretary R.D.Dhiman, Principal Secretary Sanjay Gupta, Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjay Kundu, Secretary GAD Dr R.N.Batta, Secretary Education Dr Arun Kumar Sharma, ADGP Ashok Tiwari, Director Information & Public Relations Anupam Kashyap, Directors Horticulture and Agriculture were present in the meeting among others.