Directs for formation of Rehabilitation Task Force and training of Counsellors across J&K
JAMMU: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a high-level meeting to thoroughly assess the multi-departmental efforts and progress under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA) across the districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting concluded with several critical directives aimed at intensifying the campaign, streamlining coordination, and establishing a robust mechanism for the rehabilitation of addiction-affected individuals.
Highlighting the urgency of tackling the drug menace, the Chief Secretary issued a slew of instructions including constitution of a dedicated Task Force under the Chairmanship of the Principal Secretary, Home, with Administrative Heads from the Information, Social Welfare, and Skill Development Departments as members. This force will focus on formulating comprehensive, age-group-wise rehabilitation proposals for treated individuals.
Chief Secretary underscored the vital need for training counsellors for every Panchayat, Health Center, High/Higher Secondary School, and College across J&K. He asked for training of Master Trainers at IMHANS Srinagar/Jammu, who will then be utilized to conduct decentralized training sessions in their respective districts. Videography of these training sessions was suggested for clarity and wider dissemination across tehsils and blocks.
The Information Department was designated as the nodal agency for coordinating the NMBA activities across all departments and was directed to explore the possibility of seeking financial assistance from the Department of Revenue (DoR), Government of India, under the National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse (NFCDA).
All departments were instructed to meticulously dovetail their NMBA-related activities and ensure their coordinated upload onto the single reporting portal managed by the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR).
Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare, Sarmad Hafeez, presented a detailed overview of the achievements under the Abhiyan, showcasing widespread outreach and collective departmental efforts:
Sarmad Hafeez, highlighted the comprehensive outreach of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA). He added that cumulatively, the campaign has successfully reached 1,09,78,171 people across J&K through 12,565 activities. This extensive outreach included covering 24,166 educational institutions and 8,203 villages.
Additionally he apprised that the efforts focused significantly on vulnerable groups, reaching over 11 lakh youth and nearly 98.63 lakh women. Furthermore, a special three-month campaign recently held by the Ministry of Social Justice saw the UT conducting 1,020 events, engaging an additional 2,22,565 people.
Commissioner Secretary further noted that during a special three-month campaign run by the Ministry of Social Justice, the UT conducted 1,020 events, reaching 2,22,565 people, including over 1.20 lakh youth.
The success of the Abhiyan was said to stem out from the joint efforts of several departments. The Information Department played a crucial role in awareness generation by conducting 5,361 events, reaching 3,83,259 persons. The Rural Development Department (RDD) also contributed significantly with 4,881 outreach events, engaging 3,08,841 participants.
Alongside events by Urban Local Bodies, the Health & Medical Education Department has focused on intervention and rehabilitation, registering 33,205 patients for treatment. Supplementing this, Drug Deaddiction Centres across the UT have provided substantial support by holding 1,12,884 counselling sessions.
On the strategy for the days ahead, the meeting emphasized awareness generation, rehabilitation of victims, imparting vocational training, education, and sustainable livelihoods as key tasks to combat the addiction menace.
The Health Department apprised the meeting that the training of Master Trainers would commence immediately at both GMC Srinagar and Jammu, with an initial batch of 30 from each district. The process is slated to continue for the next six months, aiming to create a comprehensive pool of approximately 4,000 counsellors covering every Panchayat, school, and health center.
The Chief Secretary concluded the meeting by administering a pledge to all participants, committing them to help achieve a drug-free India by abstaining from and preventing the use of narcotic substances.
