Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha launched a ‘drug-free J-K’ campaign and said that his government has initiated efforts in right earnest to check drug smuggling from across the border, report said.
Sinha asserted that the administration has adopted a zero tolerance policy against drug dealers and drug traffickers.
“It is a collective responsibility of society to join this fight against drug menace,” he said and called upon the representatives from PRIs and the urban local bodies to work with the administration and ensure villages and wards are made drug-free with determined efforts and proactive approach.
“Drug menace has emerged as a formidable threat to our socio-economic structure and it is essential that the entire society must come together to uproot this menace and work as a strong unit to make J&K healthy and drug-free,” he said.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the mass movement against drug addiction has been intensified. The J&K government along with the police, army and other security agencies is working with resolute determination to thwart the neighbouring country’s mala fide intentions,” he added.
Noting that public participation is significant in making J-K fear-free, corruption-free, drug-free and job-oriented, the Lt Governor said that there is a need to involve community leaders, doctors, mediapersons, representatives of voluntary organisations and Panchayati Raj Institutions in the campaign against drug abuse, using popular mass media tools for awareness and evaluating the impact of the campaign to accelerate efforts against drug menace.
“Successful models must be replicated for self-motivated campaigns by the community. I urge the sarpanch of each village and the ward members of ULBs to run a campaign to make their village, their locality drug-free,” he added, as per the report.
Sinha directed the social welfare department to make drug de-addiction centre for girls and juvenile centres functional at the earliest. He also passed a direction to set up more integrated rehabilitation centres and ensure their effectiveness.
He recounted the administrative reforms introduced by the UT government and efforts made in the last two years to bring the youth of J-K out of the darkness of drug addiction.
“J-K has been ranked second in the country for its outstanding performance in the anti-drug campaign and was honoured by the home minister. The ranking and award are a tribute to each and every stakeholder who is dedicatedly working to make J&K drug-free. In the last two years, we have been running a ‘jan andolan’ to make the drug-free campaign successful in 10 majorly affected districts of Jammu and Kashmir, and I believe our ranking is also the result of this spirit of public participation. However, much more is required to be done in this direction to eradicate the drug menace from society,” said the LG, as per the report.
