India News | Odisha Constitutes Task Force Against Drug Trafficking

Bhubaneswar, Jan 17 (PTI) The Odisha government has constituted a Task Force to check drug trafficking and drug abuse.

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The main function of the Task Force, to be headed by former Odisha DGP Abhay, will be to formulate a state policy within the context of National Policy on Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 2012, the home department said in a resolution.

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The mandate of the State Task Force will be to coordinate, suggest action in drug demand reduction, raise community awareness, increase community participation, and intervention in schools, colleges, and among youth.

“In Odisha, it is imperative to give a serious push to efforts to contain drug abuse and drug trafficking, so that the emerging problem is nipped in the bud. This can be done by a combination of demand reduction, supply reduction, and harm reduction measures,” it said.

The state over the last few years has emerged as a major centre for drug trafficking with cannabis grown in erstwhile Maoist-affected areas being trafficked all over the country, officials said.

While 198 quintals of cannabis were seized in 2015, it has increased to 1,600 quintals in 2021, they said.

There will be a multi-departmental coordination committee headed by the Chief Secretary and co-chaired by the State Task Force's Chairman, the resolution said.

The multi-departmental coordination committee will comprise secretaries of home, health and family welfare, social security, excise, school and mass education, higher education, information and public relation, and information technology departments.

The Chairman can also constitute smaller sub-committees of the Task Force to study any aspect in detail and make recommendations.

“The Task Force will coordinate, suggest policy, and suggest action in raising community awareness, increasing community participation and public cooperation, besides identifying dependent populations,” it said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)