The National Conference (NC), which issued a comprehensive report prepared by its high-powered committee on Wednesday, has initiated a rare task force within the party to fight growing drug abuse in Kashmir.
In a report prepared by a committee headed by senior NC leader and former minister Abdul Rahim Rather, the party workers were tasked to participate in awareness campaigns through a hierarchical system of party to halqa (sub-district level) level. “At the halqa level, it is crucial to involve local leaders who have a deep understanding of the specific challenges and dynamics of their communities,” it said.
The party proposed the involvement of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), especially those affiliated with the party, “to play a significant role in this regard by arranging counselling and addiction treatment facilities in the respective vulnerable areas”.
“NC Parliamentarians can also seek intervention in implementing the Government of India scheme under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) under which financial assistance is provided for preventive education, awareness generation, capacity building, skill development, vocational training and livelihood support for ex-drug addicts,” it suggested.
The report prepared over months cited the conflict in Kashmir as a cause of significant increase in substance abuse and its prevalence disorder in the region. “The prevailing and prolonged conflict in the region has severely disrupted the social fabric, resulting in a pervasive sense of hopelessness and despair among the population, particularly the youth,” the report highlighted.
The NC underlined that there was a denial of humanitarian treatment to the drug addicts who are not involved in drug smuggling or peddling in any way further compounding the problem, and pushing such vulnerable people deeper into this dark hole. “This needs to change through the implementation of such provisions of law, free from unnecessary technicalities,” it said.
The party has decided to include the drug addiction issue in the party manifesto. “National Conference’s commitment to uproot and eradicate drug menace from J&K once the party returns on the saddle of governance,” it said.
Citing official figures, the report said a staggering number of 10 lakh souls in the paradise of Jammu and Kashmir have fallen victim to the insidious clutches of drug abuse.
