SHILLONG: The state government on Monday assured the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Committee on Women Empowerment that it would be apprised of the contents of the drug policy in February next year.
Talking to media persons after a meeting here, chairman of the committee, Ampareen Lyngdoh, said that there has been a concerted effort by all the line departments to embark upon extensive interaction on the policy before it is made public.
The Chief Secretary, PS Thangkhiew told the committee that a meeting could be convened in February 2020 and details of the policy shared.
The committee was also informed that a task force of the government will reach out to different parts of Khasi and Jaintia Hills to contain the menace of drugs even before the policy is announced.
A member of the committee, HM Shangpliang, said that the committee has insisted that rehabilitation centres are required to be opened in all the government hospitals apart from Shillong, Tura and Jowai as most of the drug addicts come from poor background and they cannot afford the expensive private rehabs.
According to Lyngdoh, the committee has also asked the state government to examine the idea of allowing drug addicts to be covered under the Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS) since it does not cover treatment of drug and alcoholic addictions.
In addition, the committee would also initiate a legislators’ discussion on the drug policy to get their views.
Meanwhile, the committee also said it would visit the shelter homes for boys and girls as well as jails to see the lot of the women inmates and also ask the government to set up shelter homes for them.
The committee has asked the Social Welfare department to immediately come up with proposals for setting up of shelter homes for women in Tura, Shillong and Jowai.
