ITANAGAR, 22 Oct: A state-level workshop on ‘Healthy villages, with special focus on substance abuse’, being conducted by the State Institute of Rural Development & Panchayat Raj (SIRD&PR), got underway here on Tuesday.
Addressing the participants, SIRD&PR Director Habung Lampung suggested that “panchayat raj members can be agents of transforming villages, and an important medium to fight substance abuse in their respective jurisdictions.”
Emphasizing that drug abuse is an emerging challenge in the society, he advocated collective efforts by every stakeholder in battling the menace. He further informed that “the aim of localized sustainable development goals is not only about physical wellbeing but also includes social and psychological wellbeing of community members.”
Panchayat raj members and members of SHGs, CBOs, NGOs, etc, are attending the workshop which will feature topics like understanding substance abuse in Arunachal Pradesh, demand reduction strategy, supply control mechanism, and harm reduction approaches. The sessions will be conducted by NCPCR coordinator (drug abuse) Aparna Das Sharma, Santosh Kumar Mandal and Ankush Banyal from the NCB, psychiatrist Dr Misso Yubey, and SIRD&PR faculty members Dr Narayan Sahoo, Dr Mihin Lali and Rodo Bui.
