Assam Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Pijush Hazarika on Wednesday attended a special awareness meeting organized by the State Anti-Drug and Prevention Council on the occasion of International Overdose Awareness Day held in Guwahati.
Speaking at the event as the Chief Guest, the Assam Minister said that overdose of drugs and drugs addiction can ruin life of not only the individuals but also affect their families.
“According to available official figures, about 2,300 people died of drug overdoses in our country from 2017 to 2019. The worst of these is the death of about 70 children aged 14 to 18 years. There is nothing more unbearable for parents than seeing their children die of drug addiction before their eyes,” Hazarika said.
He also said that the state government has been taking a strong stance against illegal drugs and drug traffickers since the formation of the government under Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma.
“The government will always take a tough stance against illegal drugs and we must all be vigilant to protect future generations from the poison of these drugs,” Pijush Hazarika said.
Speaking on formulating some policies to regulate rehabilitation centres for victims of drug addiction in the state, Pijush Hazarika said that these policies would help the rehabilitation centres to carry out their work smoothly. Each centre should have proper infrastructure, health facilities and necessary facilities for counselling while delivering its services to the victims of drug addiction.
However, he also said that the government needs the help of rehabilitation centres to make the victims overcome the menace of drug addiction.
Seeing many youngsters who have been able to come out of drug addiction, participating in today’s event, the Assam Minister expressed his gratitude to them and all those who have been able to come out of the clutches of drugs in this way.
Vice President of State Anti-Drugs and Prevention Council Jitu Borgohain, Chairman of Assam State Scheduled Castes Development Corporation Jayanta Das, Director of Social Justice and Empowerment and students of several educational institutions were present on today’s occasion.
It is worth mentioning that since 2001, International Overdose Awareness Day has been observed globally with the aim of showing sympathy to the families of drug addicts and creating a special awareness environment to rescue drug addicts from the hammer of drugs. (ANI)
