Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday raised alarm over “deliberate and sinister efforts” to trap Jammu and Kashmir’s youth in drug addiction, calling for an urgent, comprehensive action plan combining strict enforcement and preventive measures to dismantle the nexus of drug smuggling and narco-terrorism.
“Deliberate and sinister efforts are being made to push the youth of Jammu Kashmir into the abyss of drug addiction. A comprehensive, whole-of-government approach, combining stringent enforcement, robust preventive measures, and a carefully calibrated multi-pronged action plan, is urgently required to dismantle the entire ecosystem of drug smuggling and narco-terrorism,” the Lieutenant Governor said while reviewing the progress of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan in the UT of Jammu Kashmir, at a high-level meeting at Lok Bhavan Jammu.
The meeting was attended by Shri Atal Dulloo, Chief Secretary; Shri Nalin Prabhat, DGP; Shri Shailendra Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department; Shri Chandraker Bharti, Principal Secretary Home; Dr Mandeep K. Bhandari, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor; Shri M Raju, Commissioner Secretary to Government, Health & Medical Education Department; Administrative Secretaries; Shri Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Shri Bhim Sen Tuti, IGP Jammu; Shri Sujit Kumar, IGP Security J&K and other senior officials.
The Lieutenant Governor directed for a massive crackdown on smuggling networks that target the youth of Jammu & Kashmir.
He called for Jan Bhagidari and a coordinated response against drug abuse for achieving the goal of Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir.
The meeting discussed five key focused areas- Enforcement, IEC, Counselling, Treatment, and Rehabilitation, while integrating a rigorous social media monitoring system to counter false narratives.
The Lieutenant Governor directed the officials for implementation of deterrents, especially within educational institutions, in mission mode. He further directed for identifying and strictly punishing any remnants of narco-terror networks within the system.
The Lieutenant Governor emphasised that the citizens must be encouraged to report the drug addiction and drug smuggling related matters to the police and the administration.
The Lieutenant Governor also reviewed the preparations of all the line departments for the upcoming intensive drug awareness campaign across the UT of J&K.
“Religious leaders, social organisations, ex-servicemen, NCC, NSS, Scouts and Guides and political leaders must be taken on-board in the fight against drug addiction,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor directed for assessment of activities conducted under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan over the past one year.
The meeting also discussed the onboarding of all the districts on Nasha Mukt J&K Portal, engagement of nodal officers, ongoing community outreach programmes, training and capacity building, strengthening and expansion of de-addiction infrastructure and human resource, operationalisation of Addiction Treatment Facilities, Drug De-addiction registry portal, implementation of SoPs and activities undertaken by the line departments.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the Lieutenant Governor directed the senior officials to prioritize vibrant villages programme, with a dedicated focus on inclusive development of border villages.
