Along with the rest of the country and the world, Arunachal Pradesh also observed International Day against Drugs Abuse and Illicit Trafficking across the state with various awareness programmes, especially targeted towards the youth.
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At Namsai, Deputy Chief Minister, Chowna Mein called for waging a war against drug addiction to eradicate it from the society
He said that Eastern Arunachal from Longding to Dibang Valley districts is a very prosperous region and the area has huge prospects in tourism, agriculture and horticulture. Potential tourist circuits like Namsai-Parashuramkund-Tezu-Roing-Mayodia and proper road connection gives advantage for the region, he said adding that soon region will have railway and air connectivity too.
The Deputy Chief Minister claimed that there is a corridor of drug trafficking from Changlang to Namsai, Lohit, Anjaw, Lower Dibang Valley and East Siang districts to western part of Arunachal Pradesh, which needs to be broken.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Agriculture, Dr Mohesh Chai said the government needs to frame a proper policy to address the drug menace and to save the future generations from falling prey to it.
He informed that the state government has already kept fund for alternate crops for poppy cultivation and assured that it will be implemented soon in the opium cultivated districts where people cultivate it as main source of income.
Among others, Deputy Commissioner, Namsai R K Sharma, Assistant Commissioner (Tax & Excise), Tanon Tatak, representatives of Namsai Women Welfare Society, NGOs, CBOs and de-addicted persons also spoke on the occasion and voiced to fight the drug abuse and illicit trafficking unitedly.
A rally by government officials, members of NGOs, CBOs and students was also carried out in Namsai Township in the morning to mark the occasion.
At Itanagar, over 400 NCC cadets from higher secondary schools and colleges of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam attended a seminar to mark International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at the auditorium of Dera Natung Government College here on Tuesday.
The Arunachal Pradesh State AIDS Control Society, in association with the Drug De-addiction Cell of the Directorate of Health and 1st AP BN NCC, Naharlagun, organised the seminar with the theme ‘Let’s develop our lives, our communities, our identities without drug’.