Dimapur, Kohima among 127 vulnerable dists in India identified for drug intervention centres

Morung Express News

Dimapur | November 20 


The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJ&E) through the National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) has identified 127 vulnerable districts across the country, including Dimapur and Kohima from Nagaland, for setting up Community Based Peer Led Intervention Centres (CPLIs) and Outreach and Drop in Centres (ODICs).


It is part of the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction, the Minister of State for MoSJ&E, Rattan Lal Kataria stated in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on November 20, informed a ministry statement via PIB. Kataria also stated that for maintaining standards of services and quality service delivery, a manual on minimum standards of services for the programmes under the Scheme for Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drugs) abuse has been developed by NISD, it said. 


 The guideline, among other things, provides for minimum standards of care in the field of addiction treatment/prevention, to improve the quality of treatment delivery, to ensure effective service delivery and for optimum utilization of resources through networking and convergence. 


Total fund released under NAPDDR to state governments and other implementing agencies since its formulation in the year 2018-19 & 2019-20 are Rs 112.33 crore and Rs 90.34 crore respectively, the statement added.  


According to the MoSJ&E policy document, the focus of CPLIs programme is to prevent early drug use among adolescents and provide referral and linkage to counseling, treatment and rehabilitation services for drug dependant in the community. Besides assessing drug use in the community, it will also implement early prevention education led by trained peer educators. 


ODIC is aimed at conducting outreach activities among vulnerable adolescents and youth in the community for prevention of drug abuse and also provide a safe and secure drop-in space for drug users with provision for screening, assessment and counseling, it added.