The Social Welfare Department aims to nearly double the number of de-addiction centres in the state with plans to create 10 by March 2024, adding to the 11 already functioning.
The new centres will be set up with the help of the central government. This was informed by Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh today following a meeting with the Shillong All Faiths Forum (SAFF), which has decided to extend full support to the government in fighting the issue of drugs in the state.
Following the meeting, Lyngdoh informed that, in the last interactive session with all stakeholders, including SAFF, the idea was that various religious institutions wanted to actively support the efforts of the state government to contain and sensitise people, especially the young, about the dangers of drug addiction.
The Social Welfare Department and SAFF decided that they will come up with a calendar of activities, tentatively starting from December 5.
“They propose to have a day long seminar and awareness programme involving students of Class 10 up to Class 12 on the drug menace and drug trafficking in the state. There will be resource persons from departments like Social Welfare, police and religious heads,” Lyngdoh said.
This will be the start of a whole range of activities, which the minister promised would not be limited to Shillong alone.
“We will not only confine ourselves to Shillong but also cover other areas, especially the hotbed areas (of drugs). The government alone will not be able to curb the drug menace in the state without the active support of civil society,” he added.
SAFF member Naba Bhattacharjee said that the federation wants to do its part, in a moral and spiritual way, in taking on the social evil of drugs.
The government has also authorised SAFF secretary Robert Majaw to coordinate with the Social Welfare Department and they will reach out to various schools with the intention of getting children to participate in the planned seminar.
