Imphal, Feb 15 (UNI) : Manipur Governor Dr Najma Heptulla today appealed to intensify the fight against drug menace and appealed to all nations tojoin hands in the struggle to wipe out the menace.
She was addressing the inaugural function of a two-day online Interactive Capacity
Building Initiative of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime today.
One of the keen desires from her school days was to work
with the international community and she had a strong desire to work
for the upliftment of women irrespective of caste, creed, religion and
place. The present alarming situation among the youths in the State
is drug addiction and AIDS. Though, State Government has been
relentlessly endeavouring to control this dreaded disease, the number
of HIV and AIDS infected persons has been increasing unabated.
Nevertheless, it is a matter of great satisfaction to know that in
Manipur, various Voluntary Health Organizations and Civil Society
Organizations have been educating the people about the disease and
related pamphlets on AIDS have been printed and distributed in all the
Districts of Manipur from time to time.
Thus, it is a mandate for all of us to eliminate this evil. In
order to combat this menace, the Government of Manipur has taken
various steps to enact laws so that those people who are involved in
these drugs and narcotics trade will be awarded exemplary punishment.
She said during visit to parts of the state including the
border areas like Tengnoupal – Indo-Myanmar border she met a large
number of children, women, youth and elderly. She noticed their pains
and concerns and their expectations and hopes. Besides poverty, the
drug situation in the North East is equally alarming. Besides
conducting authentic studies on the drug situation in the North East,
she suggested the UNODC during the International Workshop held at
Imphal to convene and conduct training and capacity building of Law
Enforcing Agencies of all the six countries under the Regional Office,
for, all the representatives from all six countries were present
during the Workshop.
North East touches the Golden Triangle, one of the most
lucrative of the drug trade regions in the world. Union Home
Minister, being the Chairman of the Council had earlier announced
that North East should be made drug free by 2022. To meet the
challenge, he asked all the Chief Secretaries and Directors General of
Police to draw up and implement an action plan. She said she was
quite hopeful that necessary action plans might have already been
drawn up by the concerned agencies.
Many a times, the cultivation of poppy and cannabis is for
the economic needs and to wean out, a better crop replacement must be
facilitated. Besides, there should be family skills training and
interventions to prevent negative social outcomes which would not only
add to the National Human Capital but would also provide a sustainable
solution to the problem. There is also a need to promote a culture of
lawfulness and build integrity and ethical values through the
education system she said. We need innovative and comprehensive
educational initiatives that support the integration of crime
prevention and other rule of law aspects into all levels of education,
thus contributing to community participation in crime prevention and
engaging with young people in a truly consultative and participatory
process while building on and investing in them as agents of positive
change. For the first time in Manipur, in a significant development,
villagers of Paoyi in Ukhrul District voluntarily destroyed poppy
plantation in the village for giving a boost to the State’s war on
drugs. In recognition of the sentiments and gestures of the
villagers, Chief Minister of Manipur announced a reward of Rs. 10 lakh
for the villagers.
The contribution made by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC), Regional Office for South Asia to counter the challenges
posed by drugs, crime, corruption and terrorism and to promote the
rule of law and justice deserves invaluable appreciation she said.
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