Delhi govt to intensify campaign against drugs and substance abuse

Women and child development minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said it is important to effectively monitor, evaluate and implement the best programmes by all agencies to rehabilitate victims of drug abuse.

The Delhi government on Tuesday said it will intensify the campaign against drugs and substance abuse in the coming days.

Women and child development minister Rajendra Pal Gautam chaired a high-level meeting with department officials regarding the progress and implementation of the Suryodaya scheme to curb drug abuse in the national capital. (ANI)

“Minister of women and child development Shri Rajendra Pal Gautam chaired a high-level meeting with department officials regarding the progress and implementation of the Suryodaya scheme. The scheme has been developed to curb drug abuse in the national capital, especially among the youth, through rehabilitation. The main concern of the minister was the effective roll-out and implementation of the scheme. The minister pressed upon officials the need to successfully rehabilitate victims of drug abuse and their families,” the government said in a press statement.

Gautam said, “The youth of this country have become victims of drug abuse. Children as young as the age of 10 and 11 have become victims of drug abuse. This is the failure of society at large —from parents, schools to enforcement agencies — in preventing the child from falling into substance abuse. We will create a robust ecosystem for a drug-free childhood.”

He also said it is important to effectively monitor, evaluate and implement the best programmes by all agencies to rehabilitate victims of drug abuse even as the campaign against drugs will be scaled up in the coming days.

“All stakeholders from various departments, such as education, social justice, police and law enforcement support and child rights commission need to work in close coordination. All agencies should come together and work for a community-based implementation of the Suryodaya scheme. We not only need to rehabilitate the child who is a victim of drug abuse but also provide counselling to his/her family,” he said.

In July 2021, the government launched Suryodaya Kendra, a one-stop centre for drug de-addiction in Delhi. The centre rehabilitates victims of drug abuse and also provide counselling to their families, among others.