Along with various sections of society, religious organisations will also have to come forward to protect the youth from the threat of substance abuse. Stating this, the Governor Baby Rani Maurya said that school children who undertake anti-drug abuse campaign will be felicitated by Raj Bhawan.

 She said this after inaugurating a workshop against drug trafficking held at the Raj Bhawan here on Friday.

Addressing the gathering, the Governor said that organisations of various religions should guide the youth against substance abuse.

 Stating that mothers can play a vital role in keeping their children away from drugs, she said that parents must keep an eye on their children and teach them good values along with proper education.

Students should immediately inform the police without fear about drug dealing going on near educational institutions. The director general of police, Anil Raturi said that the governor had raised a very pertinent issue.

The youth should use their energy and enthusiasm in the right direction. Uttarakhand police is undertaking legal action and public awareness against drug abuse but collective efforts involving all sections of society are needed to eradicate this problem effectively.

The police department is going to draft an action plan for this purpose. The police has been consistently conducting anti-drug trafficking programme since 2017. This is also being reviewed from the level of the chief minister.

Strict action will be taken against criminals, dealers and mafia elements involved in the drugs trade. Raturi said that any information about drug business should be given to the police without any fear. The identity of the person providing the information will be kept confidential. The police department is eager for all type of cooperation in tackling this issue, he added. Director general (Law and Order) Ashok Kumar various informational clips, short films and other material related to anti-drugs trafficking is available on the Uttarakhand police website, Facebook page and social media handles. These can be used by educational institutions and citizens.

Special Task Force deputy inspector general Ridhim Agrawal said that among intoxicants, ganja and hashish is used more in Sikkim, Nagaland, Odisha, Mizoram, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. Uttarakhand does not feature in the top 10 states when it comes to the use of cannabis. About 1,000 kilogrammes of ganja and 150 kilgrammes of hashish was recovered in Uttarakhand by the police this year. Similarly, 250 kilogrammes poppy husk, 15 kilogrammes opium and seven kilogrammes of smack and heroin was recovered from various districts of the state this year.

The governor’s secretary Ramesh Kumar Sudhanshu said that on the directions of the governor, such workshops against drug-abuse will be organised in each district. Such a workshop was recently presided over by the governor in Nainital.

The students attending the workshop in Dehradun also gave their suggestions for the campaign against drug abuse.

Maurya also felicitated the students who won the art competition held in 1,800 schools across the state as part of the anti-drugs trafficking programme.