By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 12: The state government is coming up with as many as 10 de-addiction and rehabilitation centres in the state by March 2024.
“The government, through the Department of Social Welfare, has funded most of these rehabilitation centres. We are also proposing (to set up) new de-addiction centres as well as rehabilitation centres,” Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh said on Thursday.
He maintained that with the active support of Centre, the state government will be in a position to initiate some new centres in the near future.
Asked how many such centres will come up, he said, “Roughly around ten and within March 2024”.
To a query about whether the existing rehabilitation centres are enough to cater to the cases at present,
Lyngdoh said that wherever such cases are referred, it is taken care of. Besides, the state also has civil hospitals which are also attending to these patients, he added.
Earlier in May, the Social Welfare minister had said that the number of drug addicts in the state has touched an alarming 2.5 lakh-mark.
He had also said that support will be sought from the Centre to come up with government rehabilitation centres in the State.
Lack of government-run rehabilitation centres have been a cause of concern, especially for the poor, with the treatment cost of the private-run rehabilitation centres being at the higher side.