Chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat said that only values can save children from the menace of substance abuse. He said this after inaugurating a two-day national level seminar organised by the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) on the issue of increasing substance abuse among children. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Rawat said that it is crucial for parents to know what their children are exposed to which includes the internet and their surroundings. It is important to instil values in children in order to restrict their indulgence in substance abuse, added Rawat.
Talking about the seminar, the SCPCR chief Usha Negi said that rehabilitation of children who indulge in substance abuse would be the major point of discussion in the seminar. She asserted that various plans to involve schools, universities, colleges besides including the families of children in the anti-drug campaign would also be discussed in the seminar. She further disclosed that the commission also plans to form anti-drug clubs in the state to monitor the issues of substance abuse among children. Negi said that the chairpersons of child commissions from various states including Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Tripura besides the representatives from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) joined the seminar. Those representatives of child commissions that could not arrive here attended the seminar virtually and joined the discussion, said Negi.
According to her, all the worthy recommendations and points made in the seminar would be sent to the State Government and the Central Government so that the government can work more efficiently towards the issue of substance abuse among children. “The substance abuse adversely affects the whole life of a child. It affects their health, education and career. There are about 54 crore children in the country and it is our duty to protect them from falling into substance abuse,” stated Negi. Cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi was also present on the occasion.
Wednesday, 17 March 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
