Shillong, Dec 5: Meghalaya is the middle of a massive war against the rising cases of drug addiction and trafficking in the state. According to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, lack of proper guidance to children at the right time is one of the factors leading to drug addiction. He, therefore, advocated for a community-based approach for drug abuse elimination and for rehabilitation of the addicted ones.

Speaking at the DREAM and BUILD programs of Social Welfare department at U Soso Tham Auditorium here on Tuesday, the CM laid emphasis on youth and having a holistic policy for them wherein they can channelize their energy and talent towards constructive activities.

Stressing on youth being ‘one of the greatest resources’ for a state and a country to shift from the conservative economy to a sustainable regenerative economy, he said, “A number of policies and programs of the government is centered around the youth to have a more holistic policy to push what is important for us that is our youth.”

He also asserted that for a successful implementation of a visionary program the stakeholder-approach needs to be adopted where the focus is on the stakeholder and not on targets achieved as in the scheme-based approach.

DREAM is an acronym for ‘Drug Rehabilitation, Elimination and Action Mission’ and Community-State Forum BUILD is an acronym for ‘Bringing Unity in Locale Against Drugs’; they are programs of the Social Welfare program in drug abuse elimination and rehabilitation of abusers.

The Chief Minister further stated that the children are not given guidance at the right time and that is one of the factors leading to the issue of drugs abuse. He further elaborated on how different programs of the state government in sports, music and entrepreneurship are linked to youth so that they channelize their potential and talent to constructive activities and do not fall prey to the menace of drug abuse. “Once they have a sense of purpose and goal in their lives they will be focused and work towards it,” he said. He also announced that the CM Elevate program will have certain quota or reservation for organizations fighting against drug abuse and for entrepreneurs who have come out clean and sober.

Talking about the BUILD program, the CM said Meghalaya is a strong community based system and community leaders play a crucial role in different social aspects. “For social issues like drugs abuse, the community is an important stakeholder not only for drug abuse elimination but also for the rehabilitation of abusers and for the success of programs like DREAM,” he said.

He added while different departments like Police, Health and Social Welfare need to work together it is also important to work with the community. He also said that it is important to deal with drug abusers with sympathy and empathy and not to stigmatize them.

Earlier, Meghalaya DGP, L R Bishnoi, said Meghalaya Police have always involved itself with the community to combat any kind of problem or issue that is faced by the state. He spoke of the factors responsible for the rise of drug trafficking. He further expressed worry that drug abusers have increased in the State and they not only limited to only males as large number of drug abusers are young girls and women too.

He highlighted the efforts of Meghalaya police in curbing drug abuse and informed that Rs 361 crores worth of drugs have been apprehended by the police.

The representatives of different organizations and religious bodies also signed the Community Accord for fight against drug abuse during the course of the program.

The Chief Minister also handed over a cheque of Rs 6 lakhs to Mawlai Dorbar for their initiatives and efforts towards drug rehabilitation.

The responsibility lies on each of us as members of the community to support those gripped by the drug menace and encourage them to overcome their addiction. The testimonials today are positive message of hope for those needing a breakthrough.

As a Govt. we are committed to… pic.twitter.com/KShWrNt39D

— Conrad K Sangma (@SangmaConrad) December 5, 2023

Also Read: Govt reforming MPSC, establishing recruitment boards to speed up recruitment process: Conrad

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