BENGALURU: In an effort to make Karnataka a drug-free state, all police officials and relevant department personnel across the state will undergo training on the use of the MAP-Drugs app. District-wise targets will also be set to control drug abuse and sub-committees modelled on the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) will be established to coordinate efforts.
These directions were issued during the 6th state-level Narco Coordination Committee meeting, chaired by Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, at Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday. DG & IGP M A Saleem, Narcotics and Organised Crime (Cyber Command Unit) head Pronab Mohanty, Additional Chief Secretary Mohammed Mohsin and other senior officials were present.
According to a press release, the chief secretary emphasised the need for police and other department officials to adopt the MAP-Drugs app and instructed that drug-related information be made available in Kannada on government websites. She also urged districts to follow the Belagavi model in tackling drug abuse.
To prevent drug trafficking, Rajneesh called for intensified checks at airports and recommended including customs officials in coordination meetings. She also directed action against unregistered pharmaceutical companies and mandated that all pharmacies display boards stating: Sale without doctor’s prescription is prohibited. She called for strengthening monitoring mechanisms to regulate the sale of red-listed drugs.
Rajneesh also called for improved Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for managing de-addiction centres and directed that the public be informed about available services. Deputy commissioners were instructed to visit at least one de-addiction centre every month and submit reports.
She also stressed the importance of conducting drug tests in hostels using testing kits and taking action against positive cases.