Turning to the divine to combat the drugs menace, the state government will sanction Rs 10 crore per annum to faith-based organisations to try and tackle the problem in varying ways.
Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh today met with the Shillong All Faiths Forum (SAFF) on the subject of narcotics and how it is destroying many lives throughout the state.
Speaking to reporters later, Lyngdoh described the meeting as very fruitful and that helpful suggestions were given by the religious leaders.
“Discussions were on the need to up the ante against narcotics and the need to increase the number of counselling institutions and also give awareness. Issues including the menace of drugs in the school curriculum and students creating awareness were also discussed in the meeting,” Lyngdoh said.
Shillong is a major hotspot of the drugs trade and use and the department has thus decided to intensify its campaign here. Seven districts out of the state’s 12 have been identified as hotspots of drugs as well.
“In this pilot project, we will divide Shillong into various zones. There will be regular interaction and review the extensiveness of the problem and try to identify the dealers and peddlers,” Lyngdoh said.
