THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: To check rising instances of alcohol and drug abuse, Kerala is all set to roll out the national action plan for drug demand reduction (NAPDDR) chalked out by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The action-plan lays thrust on increased public awareness on the ill-effects of using drugs and alcohol. Three districts - Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Ernakulam - have been identified as vulnerable areas in the state.
The main components of the programme will be formulating a plan for drug demand reduction, conducting awareness programmes among adolescents, stringent legal actions such as slapping Kerala Anti-Social (Activities) Prevention Act against habitual drug peddlers and others. A road map for implementing the action plan will get shaped at a workshop here on Wednesday.
“The ministry with the help of the National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) had identified 127 vulnerable districts across the country including Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Ernakulam,” said an officer of the Directorate of Social Justice. According to the officer, considering the special situation of the state ‘where drug abuse has exploded in nearly every corner of the streets and households’, the NAPDDR will have to be implemented state-wide.
“The primary focus will be on adolescents as nearly 70 percent of the children in the state are vulnerable to drugs. The prevention programmes of enforcement agencies are up to the mark but for better results, evidence-based substance use prevention programmes are required,” the officer said.
The report submitted by the Social Justice Department for implementing the NAPDDR in the state says the action-plan covering four fiscal years commencing in 2019-20, needs inter-departmental cooperation including that of Police, Excise, General Education, Collegiate Education and Health departments, local bodies, NGOs and others for successful implementation.
“The state should have to conduct research studies and surveys on the extent and pattern of drug abuse. It will also have to maintain a drug abuse monitoring system and establish a database on substance abuse. Setting up of integrated rehabilitation centres for addicts and treatment clinics, developing a module for re-treatment, regulating private de-addiction centres are other major components of the plan,” says the report.
PATH-FINDER
Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry prepared the NAPDDR for 2018-2023 in accordance with the UN Conventions and existing NDPS Act and NDPS Policy. Its objective is to reduce the adverse consequences of drug abuse through a multi-pronged strategy involving education, de-addiction, and rehabilitation of affected individuals and their families.