Gautam Buddh Nagar implements drug-free India campaign

NOIDA: Even though the ban on tobacco and sale of cigarettes within 100 meters of any educational institution has been initiated earlier in the district, on August 15 the Gautam Buddh Nagar district magistrate implemented the ministry of social justice and empowerment’s ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ (drug-free India) campaign 2020-21.
Under the programme, a 10-member district-level committee is formed headed by the district magistrate comprising of the police commissioner, district judge, district education officer, regional joint director (Education), retired senior civil servants who contributed to this cause, NGOs working in the field of drugs and alcohol prevention, a state-level coordination agency in the absence of Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCA) in the district, state coordinator of the Ministry of Social Justice and district social welfare officer (DSWO).
The committee is directed to focus on awareness, identification and treatment campaigns against tobacco, drugs and alcohol consumption in the district.
For this, an outreach programme will be initiated at all higher educational institutions, university campuses and schools along with community outreach and identification of dependent populations and focus on treatment facilities in hospitals etc.
While students’ clubs will be formed in schools and colleges to generate awareness, students who consume more tobacco in the district will be identified and taken to dedicated healthcare centres for treatment even as information on sale and purchase of tobacco, drugs and narcotics will be monitored by the committee.
“This is a very important social cause. The district level committee constituted for the drug-free India campaign will work on important aspects and areas such as identifying dependent populations, focusing on counselling and treatment facilities in hospitals and rehabilitation centres, organizing capacity building programs for service providers etc. Students, teachers and parents in schools and colleges in the district will be made aware of this campaign while information about the harm from tobacco will be imparted during the campaign,’" said GB Nagar DM Suhas LY.
Apart from this, the committee will draw a plan for counselling and treatment of addicts, monitor consultations and treatments and ensure strict ban of the sale of cigarettes within 100 meters of any educational institution.
The DM further said that the aim of the campaign was to cleanse the district of this menace, with the cooperation of the Government of India and people’s participation.
While the ministry of social justice and empowerment is the nodal agency for Drug Demand Reduction (DDR), the existing schemes for drug de-addiction would be converged into the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) combining efforts of the Government of India, state/UT governments and implementing agencies like NGOs, Trusts, autonomous organisations and hospitals etc.
Drug-free India campaign 2020-21
A 10-member district-level committee formed to generate awareness, identification and treatment campaigns against tobacco, drugs and alcohol consumption in the district
· Committee will be headed/chaired by the DM
· Other members include police commissioner
· District judge
· District education officer
· Regional joint director (Education)
· Retired senior civil servants who contributed to this cause
· NGOs working in the field of drugs and alcohol prevention
· A state-level coordination agency in the absence of Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCA) in the district
· A state coordinator of the ministry of social justice
· District social welfare officer (DSWO)
Awareness generation programme to:
· Focus on higher educational institutions, university campuses and schools
· Community outreach and identification of dependent population
· Focus on treatment facilities in hospitals
· Capacity building programmes for service provider