CBC’s two-day outreach prog at Shopian concludes

Shopian, Sep 21: The Central Bureau of Communication (CBC), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India on Thursday concluded its two-day-long Integrated Communication and Outreach Programme (ICOP) in Shopian.
The ICOP organised at Government Degree College, Shopian by CBC’s Field Office, Anantnag was aimed at public awareness about various public welfare schemes of the government which was done through a photo exhibition, informative standees, expert lectures and printed awareness material. The concluding day of the outreach programme was dedicated to awareness about the menace of substance abuse and various schemes for the Health and Wellness of the people.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Shopian Tanushree was the chief guest on the occasion. In her presidential address, she commended CBC for organising the outreach programme and choosing substance abuse as the theme for awareness. She said that police are working with a two-pronged strategy in the war against drug and substance abuse, whereby efforts are being made to reduce the demand for drugs by counselling and rehabilitating the addicts on one hand and stopping the supply of narcotic substances on the other.
Tanushree said that dealing with drug abusers and addicts is a sensitive issue and a challenging task for the police, as they are the victims and become criminals as well. She said that most of the addicts start using drugs and psychotropic substances under peer pressure or as an adventurous experiment and as such parents should keep an eye on who their wards are venturing with. She impressed upon the people, especially youth, to look out for the early signs of substance abuse among their peers and family to counsel them and report cases to the police. Calling for police-public cooperation, she said the citizenry is the police sans uniform and it is vital that both work together to defeat the anti-social and anti-national forces responsible for illegal activities like drug supply and peddling.
Shahid Mohammad Lone, Field Publicity Officer, CBC Anantnag in his welcome address briefed the audience about the functions and mandate of the CBC. He presented an overview of various activities organised during the two-day programme.
Rajeev Raina, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) gave a detailed presentation on the alarming situation of substance abuse in Kashmir. He informed that as per recent reports about 67,000 people are involved in substance abuse in Kashmir valley and ninety percent of them are using heroin. He said every drug abuser spends eighty thousand rupees per month on drugs on average. Raina said that police are working with civil society and religious leaders to create awareness and reach out to high-risk groups like youth and people with a history of smoking.
Rajeev also detailed the signs and behaviours that can be useful in identifying people involved in substance abuse. He said that friends, parents and immediate family members can spot early signs like changes in sleep patterns, eating habits, and violent behaviour to prevent the victim from addiction. He said that police, apart from taking recourse to the legal provisions, also organise recreational and sports activities for youth to keep them away from drugs.
During the programme, Dr. Mohammad Yousuf, Block Medical Officer, Shopian presented a detailed overview of various health sector schemes. He also shared anecdotes regarding the reluctance of people to enroll themselves on the Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY scheme during the initial stages. Dr. Yousuf discussed the major aspects of programmes like Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), National Non-Communicable Diseases Screening and other health-related schemes. He deliberated that authentic information about government schemes is very important for their proper implementation.
Others present on the occasion were Dr. Arsheed Hussain Tak, Chief Medical Officer, Shopian, officials from district administration, teachers and students from GDC Shopian and different schools, volunteers of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and ASHAs. A skit on Nasha Mukt Bharat was also performed by the empanelled cultural troupe of the CBC and a quiz competition was also organised for the audience earlier in the day.