Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced the formation of a State-Level Advisory Board for De-addiction and Rehabilitation.
Speaking in a workshop on Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition and De-addiction on Wednesday at Shimla he said, “The Advisory Board aims to streamline the efforts of various departments in tackling substance abuse and ensure a coordinated integrated approach to this issue”.
He said, “The center of excellence for mental health at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda will serve as the state-level nodal institution for de-addiction and rehabilitation, besides establishing opioid substitution therapy centers at all medical colleges and district hospitals in the state”.
The CM outlined plans to implement the School Health Mission in collaboration with the departments of education and health, emphasizing that the state government will prepare an action plan to address nutritional concerns of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating mothers, children up to six years of age, alongside efforts to prevent drug abuse and promote de-addiction and rehabilitation”.
He also directed the Social Justice and Empowerment Department to create a mechanism ensuring the well-being of expectant women and their newborns for the first year of birth as the first thousand days of a child’s life are crucial for their health and development.
The Chief Minister further emphasized the importance of raising awareness in schools about the harmful effects of drug abuse; the state government has initiated a crackdown on drug trafficking and has successfully apprehended several offenders, he said.
Expressing his concern about the rising number of children falling prey to drug addiction the CM said, “To combat the growing drug menace, an integrated approach will be adopted and a de-addiction and rehabilitation center is being established at Kotla Barog in Sirmaur district.”
The Chief Minister stressed the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle to address rising health issues due to modern living.
Health Minister Dr. Dhani Ram Shandil Chief Secretary Praboadh Saxena among others also spoke on the occasion.
