Bhubaneswar: Even as the menace of drug addiction is raging in the country, the state government has formed a special committee of officials to fight the scourge in the state through several interventions.
The department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) which deals with drug de-addiction issues has formed an 18-member high level panel with people with varied expertise such as drug de-addiction, policing, narcotics and others.
SSEPD secretary Bhaskar Sarma has been made the chairman of the committee while Director General of Police is a member of the panel. Other members in the panel included Additional Chief Secretary from the health department and representatives from the Narcotics Control Bureau, education department, women and child development department and other experts and people working in the sector.
The panel named ‘State Level Nasha Mukt Bharat Campaign Committee’ would work towards formulating a state campaign activity under the mission. It would also ensure formulation and implementation of a district level mukt campaign in vulnerable districts in the state.
The panel would work towards increasing community participation and public cooperation. It has been envisioned that the norm of ban of sale of cigarettes within 100 metres of an educational institution would be strictly adhered to and enforced by the panel.
Training programmes at different levels would be organized to increase awareness among people. Social media could also be roped in to boost the presence of such activities on the social media.
The panel would visit institutions, hospitals for assessment of preparedness and implementation of the campaign. It has also been planned to obtain information on the availability and sale of drugs and review the action taken on such information.
“The committee will sit at least once in two months to review the situation of Nasha Mukt Bharat Campaign in Odisha and to formulate the future action plan for awareness generation, capacity building, and drug demand reduction and enforcement activities,” an office order of the department said Wednesday.
Earlier, the SSEPD had tried to expand the de-addiction centres in each district besides taking the help of spiritual organizations like Bramhakumaris, RK Mission and Art of Living to boost the resistance power of drug addicts and help them quit addictions.