Eight-year-old system revived to fight drugs

NEW DELHI: Concerned with growing drug abuse, Prime Minister’s Office has resurrected an eight-year-old mechanism to coordinate Centre-state efforts to fight the menace.

PMO has directed ministry of social justice and empowerment to start meetings of National Consultative Committee on De-addiction and Rehabilitation with states and finalise a national policy for drug demand reduction.

The committee was constituted in 2008 to advise the government on issues connected with drug demand reduction, education and awareness building, de-addiction and rehabilitation of drug-addicts.

Headed by social justice and empowerment minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot, the committee has not been meeting regularly. PMO has now directed the ministry to hold a meeting with states and gauge their policies and progress on reducing drug demand.

The consultative committee had formed a sub-committee in February 2009 to formulate a National Policy for Drug Demand Reduction.

Almost seven years after the recommendation, PMO has directed the ministry to finalise the policy and put it before a group of ministers headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

According to sources, the policy would be discussed first with the states at the consultative committee meeting.

The views would be sought and then put forward before the GoM with the policy.

Ministry sources confirmed to ET that the consultative committee meeting would be held this month. A senior official told ET: “The urgency can be gauged by the fact that the ministry had circulated an advisory to the states in August and within a month the PMO has directed us to check how many states have moved on the advisory and what steps have been taken.”