Srinagar, September 9, KDC: The Jammu and Kashmir government has launched a rehabilitation programme aimed at helping people recovering from drug addiction rebuild their lives through employment, social support and reintegration into their communities.
The pilot phase of the Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Scheme for Drug Abuse Victims 2026 was launched at the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Kashmir (IMHANS-K), Government Medical College Srinagar.
The scheme focuses on long-term recovery and reducing the risk of relapse and social exclusion. It provides for individual rehabilitation plans tailored to patients’ needs, with support extending beyond medical treatment to social assistance, vocational opportunities and community reintegration.
The Pilot of the programme was Launched by Atal Dulloo, Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, in the presence of senior officials including Principal Secretary, Home Department, Chandraker Bharti; Commissioner/Secretary, General Administration Department and Health and Medical Education Department, M. Raju; Commissioner/Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Sarmad Hafeez; Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Anshul Garg; Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Akshay Labroo; and Principal/Dean, Government Medical College Srinagar, Prof Dr Iffat Hassan Shah.
Speaking at the launch, the Chief Secretary stressed the importance of a comprehensive, recovery-oriented approach to substance-use disorders. He said rehabilitation should not end when a patient leaves clinical care, but should also address the social and economic challenges that can affect long-term recovery.
The Chief Secretary commended the efforts of the Home Department, Social Welfare Department and Health and Medical Education Department in developing a patient-centred and practical rehabilitation policy, with particular recognition for the work of Principal Secretary Home Shri Chandraker Bharti;Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education, Shri M. Raju and Commissioner/Secretary Shri Sarmad Hafeez in helping translate the policy into an implementable programme.
Mr Dulloo said the initiative represented a shift away from viewing rehabilitation purely as a medical intervention towards a model that combines treatment with social support, employment opportunities and community reintegration.
He also highlighted the potential for collaboration between IIM Jammu’s (CITaG) and IMHANS-K to develop innovative approaches to promoting positive mental health.
The programme includes individual rehabilitation plans for patients, which were presented at the launch by addiction psychiatry fellows Dr Ifrah Jan and Dr Marya Zahoor.
Prof Dr Iffat Hassan Shah, Principal of Government Medical College Srinagar, in her welcome adress thanked the Dignatories for showing there commitment to cause and highlighted the role of IMHANS-K in providing mental health services across Jammu and Kashmir.
She said the institute had also expanded access to mental healthcare through its tele-mental health centre, which has handled more than 170,000 calls.She also talked about Mental Health and Deaddiction being as thrust areas for GMC Srinagar as envisaged in health reforms by worthy Chief Secretary
Prof Dr Arshad Hussain, head of psychiatry at GMC Srinagar, spoke about the evolution of the institution from the concept of a mental asylum into a modern Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences. He said IMHANS-K was working towards becoming a tertiary brain-health centre providing specialist treatment, training and research.
Dr Hussain also credited Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education, Shri M. Raju with taking forward the decision to establish a long-term rehabilitation facility at IMHANS-K, for which a detailed project report has been submitted. Land for the facility has been allotted by Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Shri Akshay Labroo.
The programme has been developed against growing concern over drug use in Kashmir and seeks to address some of the social and economic difficulties that can make sustained recovery more difficult.
Officials said the pilot represented an important step towards a more sustainable rehabilitation system, treating substance-use disorders as a long-term health and social challenge rather than solely a medical problem.
The launch was attended by other senior officials from the Home, Health and Social Welfare departments. Officials from districts including Budgam and Jammu, along with representatives from Government Medical College Kathua and Government Medical College Jammu, also joined the programme online.
The authorities described the pilot as an important step towards a rehabilitation system that treats substance use disorders as a long-term social and health challenge rather than solely a medical problem. (KDC)
