Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday reviewed the proposed Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Scheme for Drug Abuse Victims, 2026, aimed at creating a comprehensive framework for the treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration of individuals recovering from substance use disorders across Jammu and Kashmir.
He directed that the scheme be piloted in one district each of the Jammu and Kashmir divisions before being rolled out across the Union Territory.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo; Principal Secretary, Home Department, Chandraker Bharti; Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor, Dr Mandeep K. Bhandari; Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Sarmad Hafeez; and other senior officers.
The Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Scheme envisages a structured three-year rehabilitation cycle comprising Phase I – Treatment and Stabilisation, which focuses on medical treatment, counselling and the preparation of Individual Rehabilitation Plans (IRPs); Phase II – Reintegration and Livelihood Activation, aimed at facilitating education, skill development, employment and family reintegration; and Phase III – Sustained Monitoring and Social Inclusion, which provides continued follow-up, relapse prevention, community support and long-term social reintegration through coordinated interventions by multiple departments.
Officials informed the meeting that a dedicated Rehabilitation Monitoring Portal (RMP) is being developed to facilitate digital case management, monitoring of Individual Rehabilitation Plans, inter-departmental convergence and real-time tracking of rehabilitation outcomes while ensuring the confidentiality of beneficiaries.
The scheme has been prepared by a Task Force constituted under the chairmanship of the Principal Secretary, Home Department, following the directions of the Chief Secretary, with the Social Welfare Department serving as the nodal department.
The Task Force, comprising representatives of all key stakeholder departments, was mandated to formulate a comprehensive framework for the rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration of drug abuse victims through a coordinated inter-departmental approach.
The Lieutenant Governor emphasised the need for a coordinated, humane and outcome-oriented rehabilitation framework that ensures sustained recovery, social inclusion and livelihood opportunities for individuals affected by drug abuse. He stressed that community participation, family support, skill development and continuous monitoring must remain the cornerstones of the rehabilitation process.
He directed that the pilot implementation of the scheme be launched in the two most affected districts—one each from the Kashmir and Jammu divisions—to assess its effectiveness and ensure a focused approach to the rehabilitation of drug abuse victims.
“Training and capacity-building programmes for the concerned staff must begin at the earliest to equip teams with specialised skills and enhance the delivery of rehabilitation services,” the Lieutenant Governor told the officials.