DW BUREAU / Shimla

The Himachal Pradesh government is set to launch the 'Nasha Mukt Himachal Abhiyan,' a comprehensive state-wide campaign aimed at combating the menace of drug abuse, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Sunday.

He said this campaign envisages a three-pronged strategy focusing on prevention, early identification of drug users and the rehabilitation of addicts back into society. "Our government is fully committed to tackling the challenge of drug abuse head-on," he said.

"This issue represents one of the greatest threats to our society, affecting public health, social stability, and economic well-being. We aim to protect future generations from falling into this quagmire and shield our citizens from the devastating effects of drug abuse, ensuring the long-term social and economic well-being of the state", he added. CM said that the state was working on appropriate strategies and interventions to immediately control the supply and reduce the demand for drugs.

"The 'Nasha Mukt Himachal Abhiyan' will involve all key stakeholders, including various government departments such as education, health, police, rural development, youth services and sports and information and Public Relations. The Local bodies, including Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs), urban local bodies (ULBs), yuvak mandals, mahila mandals and NGOs would play an active role at grass-root level in creating awareness among the people about the ill-effects of drugs during the campaign," he said.

"Special focus will be given to high-risk areas such as industrial zones, the state capital, educational institutions and municipal corporations," he added.

He further said that the campaign would also incorporate extensive social media outreach alongside on-ground awareness programmes.

"To support rehabilitation efforts, the government plans to establish detoxification and counselling centres at government hospitals and community health centres (CHCs). These centres would offer 5-10 beds along with facilities for diagnostics and treatment of related illnesses. Additionally, the state government was also upgrading the infrastructure to bolster its efforts in rehabilitating drug addicts," he said.

"A specialised force focused on preventing drug-related crimes is also being developed, and an advisory board has been already established to provide strategic guidance to the campaign," said the chief minister.
(editor@dailyworld.in)