LG Sinha Reviews Rehabilitation Scheme for Drug Abuse Victims
SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the proposed Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Scheme for Drug Abuse Victims, 2026, aimed at establishing a comprehensive, convergence-based framework for the rehabilitation and social reintegration of individuals recovering from substance use disorders across the Union Territory.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Principal Secretary, Home Department Chandraker Bharti, Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor Dr. Mandeep K. Bhandari, Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare Department Sarmad Hafeez, and other senior officers.
During the meeting, Commissioner Secretary Sarmad Hafeez delivered a detailed presentation outlining the key features of the proposed scheme, which seeks to provide long-term rehabilitation, livelihood support, and social reintegration for individuals recovering from drug addiction.
According to the presentation, the scheme proposes a structured three-year rehabilitation cycle comprising three phases. Phase I – Treatment and Stabilization will focus on medical treatment, counselling, and preparation of Individual Rehabilitation Plans (IRPs). Phase II – Reintegration and Livelihood Activation aims to facilitate education, skill development, employment opportunities, and family reintegration. Phase III – Sustained Monitoring and Social Inclusion will ensure continued follow-up, relapse prevention, community support, and long-term rehabilitation through coordinated interventions by multiple government departments.
The meeting was also informed that a dedicated Rehabilitation Monitoring Portal (RMP) is being developed to enable digital case management, monitoring of Individual Rehabilitation Plans, inter-departmental convergence, and real-time tracking of rehabilitation outcomes while ensuring complete confidentiality of beneficiaries.
Officials informed that the scheme has been prepared by a Task Force constituted under the chairmanship of the Principal Secretary, Home Department, following the directions of the Chief Secretary. The Social Welfare Department has been designated as the nodal department, while the task force includes representatives from all key stakeholder departments to ensure a coordinated and comprehensive rehabilitation framework.
Appreciating the efforts of the Task Force, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha stressed the need for a coordinated, humane, and outcome-oriented rehabilitation system that ensures sustained recovery, social inclusion, and livelihood opportunities for individuals affected by drug abuse.
He emphasized that community participation, family support, skill development, and continuous monitoring should remain the cornerstones of the rehabilitation process and directed all concerned departments to ensure effective inter-departmental coordination for the successful implementation of the scheme.
The Lieutenant Governor also underscored the importance of leveraging technology for transparent monitoring and evidence-based decision-making.
To assess the effectiveness of the initiative, he directed that the pilot implementation of the scheme be launched in two of the worst-affected districts, one each from the Kashmir and Jammu divisions.
“The pilot implementation should be closely monitored so that the learnings can be incorporated before scaling up the Scheme across the Union Territory,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
He further instructed that dedicated and committed officers be identified to work with determination toward the rehabilitation of drug abuse victims. He also called for the identification and training of motivated women volunteers and self-help groups to actively participate in counselling and rehabilitation efforts.
Highlighting the importance of public involvement, the Lieutenant Governor said community participation is essential for successfully reintegrating recovering individuals into mainstream society. He urged that volunteers and interested government employees should be encouraged to actively contribute to the rehabilitation process.
The Lieutenant Governor also directed that training and capacity-building programmes for the concerned staff be launched at the earliest to equip teams with specialized skills and strengthen the delivery of rehabilitation services across Jammu and Kashmir.