Policy with intent
The focus of the administration in Jammu and Kashmir these days is fixed entirely on curbing the drug menace besides ensuring a comprehensive rehabilitation policy for those who have fallen victims to the drug menace.
In this direction a major step towards strengthening the fight against substance abuse and ensuring long-term recovery of affected individuals, the administration is giving a final shape to a comprehensive Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Framework for victims of drug abuse. This policy is aimed at facilitating their successful reintegration into society through a structured rehabilitation cycle.
The proposed framework seeks to move beyond conventional detoxification and treatment by adopting a holistic approach that combines medical care, psychosocial support, education, skill development, employment opportunities and sustained monitoring to prevent relapse and promote social stability.
Ironically, substance abuse in Jammu and Kashmir has moved from being a hidden crisis to a visible emergency. Hospitals report more cases, families’ bear the stigma, and youth lose years to addiction.
What J&K needs now is not just detox, but a full cycle of care. The Government’s new framework, built around Individual Reintegration Plans, (IRPs) and mentor-led handholding, is an attempt to do exactly that.
It treats recovery as a journey from treatment to social and economic reintegration, not as a one-time hospital visit. The model is being piloted through IMHANS in Srinagar and one more district. The Pilots in the two districts will expose operational gaps before a UT-wide rollout.
The old approach stopped at detox. This framework extends till the person is stable, skilled, and accepted back in society. It will cover several phases including treatment and stabilization as every case referred from a recognized de-addiction centre gets assessed by psychiatric professionals.
Another focus of the new rehab policy is on reintegration and livelihood activation. This is where recovery gets real. Beneficiaries are linked to skill training, apprenticeships, self-employment schemes, and Centrally Sponsored Programmes. Those who dropped out of school are encouraged to resume studies.
Finally a sustained monitoring and social inclusion process is set to be rolled in so that the fragile recovery process is cemented into a well maintained goal.
Notably, relapse often happens months later when support ends. This phase focuses on long-term retention, community acceptance, jobs or entrepreneurship, and mental well-being. Mentors do physical, telephonic, and digital follow-ups to keep the person on track.
Addiction cannot be arrested, it has to be treated. J&K’s new strategy understands this. If IRPs are implemented with sincerity, mentorship works, and livelihood links are delivered, we can reduce relapse rates and give thousands of youth a second chance at a dignified life. Treatment gives life back. Reintegration gives it meaning. That is the goal this framework must achieve.
