Uttarakhand Chief Secretary orders strict measures to combat drug addiction among youth

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], June 27 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan held a meeting of the National Narco Coordination Portal (ANCORD) at the Secretariat on Thursday.
The Chief Secretary expressed deep concern over the increasing trend of drug addiction among the youth in the plains as well as hilly areas of the state.
He stressed the need to take strict measures to control the increasing menace of drug addiction among the youth. He said that for this, District magistrates and SSPs will have to play an important role.
The Chief Secretary directed the increase in enforcement to stop the sale of drugs. He said that the police department needs to take strict measures to prevent drug addiction.
For this, he nominated SSP STF Navneet Singh as a single-point nodal officer, giving him full freedom to take strict measures against drug addiction. He said that whatever is required to cut the roots of drug addiction will be made available to him. He said that to break this eco-system created for drug addiction, a campaign should be run simultaneously in the entire state, in which every concerned department will have to fulfil its responsibility.
He requested that the Health Department include the Drug Inspector in this campaign. He said that every officer will have to fulfil their responsibility honestly in breaking the chain of demand and supply. The responsibility of officers who are unable to work properly should also be addressed.
The Chief Secretary directed that all District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police should meet with the heads of educational institutions and hostels in their districts and persuade them to conduct medical tests within their institutions. He said that for this, the Health Department will arrange the equipment and test materials.
He said that parents also need to cooperate in this. He talked about running continuous campaigns for getting medical tests of students done.
The Chief Secretary directed the conduct of large-scale awareness campaigns in the state and its districts. For this, he said that the Home Department, Information Department, Higher Education Department, School Education Department, and Health Department should set a day and conduct large-scale awareness campaigns. He said that social media and social media influencers should also be included in awareness activities. Such awareness campaigns should be conducted continuously across the state.
The Chief Secretary stated that meetings of the District Mental Health Authority and the District Level Coordination Committee should be held monthly, chaired by the District Magistrate. He directed the increase in the capacity of government de-addiction centres and mental health centres operating in the state.
He said that the government buildings that are not in use can also be operated as de-addiction and mental health centres. He said that de-addiction centres should be started in the next month in other completed buildings, including the building constructed for the old age home in Raiwala. He also directed all District Magistrates to prepare a report on the vacant government buildings in their respective districts and make it available to the government, so that other public welfare works could be initiated in these buildings as needed.
The Chief Secretary also directed the conduct of a physical inspection of the private de-addiction centres operating in the state. He stated that action should be taken following the rules against private institutions that fail to meet the standards. He said that the youth who have fallen prey to drug addiction need to be connected with positive activities so that they can give up their addiction as soon as possible.
The Chief Secretary said that NCC, NSS and Mahila Mangal Dals also need to be involved in the fight against drug addiction. He said that annual health checkups should be promoted in educational institutions. (ANI)