Centre considering chapter on drug abuse in school

Centre is mulling incorporating a chapter on drugs in the school syllabus to sensitise children about the ill-effects of substance abuse, Union Health Minister J P Nadda today said.
Addressing the conference, 'Drug Menace in India, overview, challenges and solutions' organised by HP State Legal Services Authority at Manali today, Nadda said that drug menace was a serious problem for our Country and youth were falling easy prey to it creating serious challenge to the government and security agencies.
Nadda said that the Union government was serious about incorporating a chapter in school syllabus to catch the youth young and sensitise them about the ill-effects of the drugs abuse.

He said that the victims and criminals involved in NDPS cases encompass the entire range of social strata in our country, right from rich and famous to the poor are found to be involved and affected by the drug menace.
Nadda said that some 7.3 crore people in India were used to abuse of drugs and 70 per cent of them have become heavy addicts, which was rather an alarming proportion.
The number of those between age group of around eighteen was predominantly high and the problem has to be redressed by adopting measures as counselling and creating awareness.

"We need a co-ordinating and holistic approach with community support to root out the drug abuse from the society to a large extent", he said adding that capacity building of society and community based intervention was need of the hour to counter the ill effects and dangers of drug abuse.

The Union government had sanctioned Rs 150 crore for mental illness programmes and the NDA government was considering to start advance courses in all State and District hospitals for it.
"Security agencies and stringent laws alone cannot reduce the gravity of drug marketing and smuggling in isolation", Nadda said, adding that with concerted efforts of the society and awareness programmes we can contain drug business to a larger extent.