Srinagar, 14 July: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday said community participation is crucial for successful reintegration of victims into mainstream.
“Volunteers and interested Government employees must be encouraged to actively participate in the rehabilitation process,” he made these remarks while chairing a meeting to review the proposed Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Scheme for Drug Abuse Victims, 2026.
The Scheme is aimed at establishing a comprehensive, convergence-based framework for the rehabilitation and social reintegration of individuals recovering from substance use disorders across the Union Territory.
The meeting was attended by Atal Dulloo, Chief Secretary; Chandraker Bharti, Principal Secretary, Home Department; Dr. Mandeep K Bhandari, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor; Sarmad Hafeez, Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare Department and other senior officers.
Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Sarmad Hafeez gave a detailed presentation highlighting the salient features of the proposed Scheme.
The Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Scheme envisages a structured three-year rehabilitation cycle comprising Phase I – Treatment and Stabilization, focusing on medical treatment, counselling and preparation of Individual Rehabilitation Plans (IRPs); Phase II – Reintegration and Livelihood Activation, aimed at facilitating education, skill development, employment and family reintegration; and Phase III – Sustained Monitoring and Social Inclusion, providing continued follow-up, relapse prevention, community support and long-term social reintegration through coordinated interventions of multiple departments.
It was further informed that a dedicated Rehabilitation Monitoring Portal (RMP) is being developed to facilitate digital case management, monitoring of Individual Rehabilitation Plans, inter-departmental convergence and real-time tracking of rehabilitation outcomes while ensuring confidentiality of beneficiaries.
The Scheme has been prepared by a Task Force constituted under the Chairmanship of the Principal Secretary, Home Department, pursuant to the directions of the Chief Secretary, with the Social Welfare Department as the Nodal Department. The Task Force, comprising representatives of all key stakeholder departments, was mandated to formulate a comprehensive framework for rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration of drug abuse victims through a coordinated inter-departmental approach.
The Lieutenant Governor appreciated the comprehensive and collaborative approach adopted by the Task Force in formulating the Scheme. He emphasized the need for a coordinated, humane and outcome-oriented rehabilitation framework that ensures sustained recovery, social inclusion and livelihood opportunities for individuals affected by drug abuse.
The Lieutenant Governor stressed that community participation, family support, skill development and continuous monitoring must remain the cornerstone of the rehabilitation process.
He directed the concerned departments to ensure effective inter-departmental coordination for successful implementation of the Scheme.
The Lieutenant Governor underscored the importance of leveraging technology for transparent monitoring and evidence-based decision-making.
He directed that the pilot implementation of the scheme should be initiated in two most affected districts—one from the Kashmir Division and one from the Jammu Division—to assess its effectiveness and ensure a focused approach towards rehabilitation of drug abuse victims.
The pilot implementation should be closely monitored so that the learnings can be incorporated before scaling up the Scheme across the Union Territory, he said.
The Lieutenant Governor instructed that committed officers be identified to work with dedication and vigour towards the rehabilitation of drug victims. He further directed that motivated and driven women volunteers/groups be identified, imparted appropriate training, and involved in counselling and rehabilitation efforts for the victims.
Training and capacity building programs for the concerned staff must begin at the earliest to equip teams with the specialized skills and enhance the delivery of rehabilitation services,” the Lieutenant Governor told the officials.
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