Srinagar, May 08: Chief Secretary Jammu and Kashmir Atal Dulloo today chaired a high-level meeting to review a comprehensive rehabilitation framework for victims of drug abuse prepared by the Social Welfare Department in consultation with various government departments and stakeholders.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary Finance Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary Home Chandraker Bharti, Commissioner Secretary Social Welfare Department Sarmad Hafeez and other senior officers.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary stressed the need for a practical and result-oriented rehabilitation strategy capable of delivering tangible outcomes on the ground. He directed that the plan be further refined through detailed consultations with all concerned departments and civil society stakeholders, particularly experts from Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences and Psychiatry Departments of Government Medical Colleges.
Atal Dulloo highlighted the important role of patient mentors in the rehabilitation process and said that mentors should possess basic qualifications and undergo specialised training modules at IMHANS. He proposed creation of a dedicated pool of trained mentors, with at least 30 to 40 resource persons identified in each district to support long-term rehabilitation and reintegration efforts.
He emphasized that responsibilities of mentors should be clearly defined according to the individual needs of patients to ensure effective engagement and sustained rehabilitation. The Chief Secretary also directed that an appropriate incentive mechanism be devised for motivating mentors.
The meeting also discussed linking rehabilitated individuals with government schemes and resources to provide livelihood opportunities, skill development and support for continuation of education in schools and colleges. Directions were issued to the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for development of a dedicated digital portal for monitoring rehabilitation and post-care support.
Calling for a comprehensive framework with clearly defined responsibilities for all stakeholders, Atal Dulloo directed departments to work out financial implications and expected outcomes for effective implementation of the programme.
Additional Chief Secretary Finance Shailendra Kumar stressed categorisation of patients based on severity of addiction so that rehabilitation and mentorship support can be customised accordingly. He also suggested exploring Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding and utilising psychologists available in different departments to strengthen counselling services.
Principal Secretary Home Chandraker Bharti emphasized the need for designing the rehabilitation framework based on actual ground-level requirements and challenges faced by victims and their families.
Earlier, Commissioner Secretary Social Welfare Department Sarmad Hafeez gave a detailed presentation on the proposed rehabilitation model and informed that Jammu and Kashmir is emerging as the first region in the country to work on a structured long-term rehabilitation system focused on treatment, stabilization, reintegration and livelihood support to prevent relapse.
He said the proposed three-year rehabilitation framework includes treatment and stabilization, social reintegration, livelihood generation, post-care monitoring and social inclusion. The strategy also envisages empanelment of trained patient mentors for continuous counselling, guidance and emotional support.
