Darrang receives national recognition for combating drug abuse

Guwahati:  Darrang district in central Assam has been recognized as one of the best performing districts in India for its efforts to  implement the joint action plan for preventing drugs and substance abuse among the children and also restricting illicit trafficking, said an official statement released from Mangaldai on Monday. District commissioner Munindra Nath Ngatey received the certificate of appreciation from the Union minister of state for home affairs Nityananda Rai at a ceremony held in New Delhi on Sunday.

Mentionable is that Darrang is the only district in Assam to get this recognition. The joint action plan on ‘Prevention of Drug and Substance Abuse among Children and Illicit Trafficking (Ek Yudh Nashe Ke Virudh) was prepared by NCPCR and NCB which was released in February 2021.  The initiative  aims to keep the children away from drug abuse and prevent the sale of drugs near the schools, educational institutions, childcare centers, etc  through coordinated actions in a time-bound manner.

The plan also promotes a holistic approach to tackling drug abuse among children across the country with the district magistrate/collector serving as the nodal person for monitoring the  implementation. This year's theme being prevention,  the NCPCR and NCB organised a national-level review and consultation on the implementation of action plans at Vigyan Bhawan, where  the commission selected the best performing districts based on their successful implementation of the plan and Darrang earned the recognition.