JAMMU, Apr 14: With very little funding, the NGO J&K Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses (JKSPYM) has been working relentlessly for the past 32 years to end the drug addiction in J&K.
This NGO has treated and counselled 9093 drug addicts in J&K to date in addition to offering home counselling to 3600 individuals. Drug addicts are increasingly frequenting this NGO’s addiction treatment facilities.
“We have a capacity of 17 to 18 people at our centres but now people in large numbers are visiting our centres both at Jammu and Kashmir,” Rakesh Thakur, the convenor of the Society told Rising Kashmir.
Thakur stated, “Now, there is heavy rush and we have to manage for the rest of the people on our own, including their medications, food, and other necessities. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, GoI, offers us 90 to 95% financing and that is for 15 persons each at our centre.”We cannot refuse admittance or therapy to anybody who visit our centres because, above all, doing so is a service to mankind,” he stated..
This, he said, we manage on our own through donations and urge the people through social media and other platforms to donate for bringing youth out of this menace and help them lead a dignified life.
“We make sure that names of the people getting treatment and counselling in our rehabilitation centres are not disclosed,” he said.
The noteworthy thing is that this NGO, with limited resources, has to motivate people to visit for treatment at the rehabilitation centres both at Jammu and Kashmir and that too in a clandestine manner.
“We have a team of 12 dedicated people who are working day in and day out to counsel and treat the youth who have indulged in drugs,” Thakur, told Rising Kashmir.
The de addiction centre of J&K Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses, is the first drug de addiction project approved by the GoI which is at Purkhoo in Jammu. It was established in 1990.
The Society has also established its de addiction centre at Kulgam in Kashmir in June last year after approval by the GoI where so far 70 people have so far been treated and counselled.
Each drug de addiction centre costs around 30 lakh per year like medicines, food etc as per the capacity approved by the GoI i.e 15 beds, Thakur said adding that number of people visiting the centres is increasing by the day and the Society has to bear the expenses on its own.
