Advisor to Governor KK Sharma has termed the drug menace as main challenge confronting the nation for which concrete measures are needed as a multi-pronged strategy for the remedial measures.
The advisor, according to an official spokesperson, wasspeaking at the 2nd Regional Conference on Drug Menace–Challenges andStrategies held at Chandigarh where he was representing Jammu and Kashmir. Chief Ministers of the northern statesincluding Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand attendedand presented the viewpoints and suggestions of their respective Governments.
The Advisor said that the challenges being posed by theincreasing drug menace in the country have reached a worrisome figure andtaking necessary steps for its prevention and eradication is the need of thehour.
While referring to the rising addiction rates among youthnationally and in accordance with the prime minister’s slogan of fighting threeDs i:e Drug addiction, Depression and Diabetes, the Advisor said the Jammu and Kashmir Government has come upwith a comprehensive policy for Drug De-addiction which incidentally iscountry’s second comprehensive De-addiction policy. The need has beenaccentuated as the state has been witnessing a significant rise in drug andsubstance related cases, he added.
While referring to the Policy introduced by the state theAdvisor said pertinently it is the second document in India after Punjabdrafted for de-addiction. Ourde-addiction policy in comparison to other policies has thrust on demanddeduction rather than harm deduction, he added.
“I would like to bring forth the fact that followingimplementation there is a massive multi-pronged strategy from various stakeholders to limit the problem of drug addiction to minimal. From awarenesscampaigns to war on availability to treatment of affected all areas are beingaddressed in a sustained and goal directed way”, the Advisor added.
The Advisor said that it would also be helpful to exchangethe best practices of the states in countering drug menace. Similarly, theexperiment of JK Police drug de-addiction centers to cater to borderline casesis an example, he added.
In a joint statement issued at the end of the conference,the Chief Ministers of Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh andUttarakhand, joined by top officials from Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir andChandigarh, the States agreed on a series of powerful measures to eradicate thescourge from the region.
These included joint operations at the inter-state borders,information-sharing and implementation of the best practices of the participatingstates. There was a consensus among the states on the importance ofstrengthening the information-sharing mechanism on drugs and drugdealers/smugglers, for a more effective crackdown against them.