To intensify its war against drugs, Punjab Government will soon collaborate with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
As per the decision, a roadmap will be developed for the project implementation, for which a Project Committee — headed by the Principal Secretary (Health) — will be set up. The head of Special Task Force (STF) on Drugs ADGP, Harpreet Singh Sidhu, will be the co-convener of the project committee, besides two representatives from the UNODC.
The decision was taken following a meeting on Wednesday between the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and the UNODC representative Sergey Kapinos.
The MoU will be signed between the State Health Department, the STF on Drugs and UNODC in the second week of June, said an official spokesperson.
For the purpose, the Chief Minister has directed the Health Secretary to finalise the terms of the MoU after consultation with all stakeholders to identify the areas of cooperation.
It was decided that pre-project activity will start immediately after signing of the MoU and the execution will move forward full steam as soon as the project funding is cleared by the UN.
Kapinos appreciated the work done by Capt Amarinder Government in fighting drugs problem, saying that the political will that had been shown by the State could deliver exemplary results and set an example in combatting the menace not only in India but the entire region.
Referring to Punjab’s vulnerability to drugs on account of its proximity to Pakistan, he spoke about the need to involve the clergy and the gurdwaras to create awareness and reach out to the victims.
He also stressed the need to address the issue of drugs abuse in prisons, underlining the importance of prison rehabilitation and reforms.
The UNODC representative offered the agency’s help in improving law enforcement and policing to combat drugs.
He suggested e-programmes in Hindi and Punjabi to connect with the local youths, which he said was the most vulnerable group.
Kapinos informed the Chief Minister that the agency’s programmes involving mothers had proved very successful in other countries, and could be emulated in Punjab.
STF chief ADGP Harpreet Singh Sidhu spoke about the three-pronged strategy adopted by the force to combat the drugs menace. “Thirty lakh students and 10 lakh adults are being involved in the anti-drugs awareness drive in the state,” he said.
In his presentation, Kapinos shared details of the “star strategy” developed by UNODC ROSA to facilitate the State Government in protecting the health of drug abusers, including measures to ensure their holistic rehabilitation by providing evidence-based treatment, such as Opioid Substitution Theory for people with Opioid disorder, which in turn would reduce the demand for illegal opioids.
The UN representative also informed the Chief Minister about the Opioid Treatment Interventions being piloted by UNODC in Kapurthala and Bathinda and promised assistance to the state government in scaling up of operations in these areas.
The UNODC strategy also listed measures to guarantee security of other citizens by adopting a model of gender inclusiveness with targeted programmes for women drug users, women sex partners of drug users, women prisoners and women living with HIV.
Identifying society capacity building as one of the most important needs to counter drug abuse by youngsters, it underlined the need for a combination of training, mentoring and support for networking with civil society groups in the State.
The presentation proposed steps to sensitise various agencies involved in the fight against drugs and encourage them to consider drug abuse as a health issue rather than a security concern.
The police authorities would be trained in public health and human rights approaches, while developing model principles for harmonization of drug law and public health law, according to the UNODC strategy.