Amid a surge in drug abuse in the Valley and a study revealing that use of drug abuse among youngsters is increasing, the administration in the border district of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir has asked parents of the students, who would be seeking admission in government schools, to submit an affidavit that their wards are not involved in any drug-related activities, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
The students have been warned that their admission would be cancelled if they are found to be involved in use of drugs.
What the circular states
In a circular issued by Chief Education Officer (CEO) Kupwara Abdul Hamid Fani, it was stated that as the admission process has commenced for students of Class IX, X, XI and XII, the heads of high schools and higher secondary schools are instructed to obtain an affidavit from parents confirming that their child is not involved in any drug-related activities.
It stated that in case the student is found in any type of such activity, the admission of the student will be cancelled immediately. The circular by the CEO is seen as a major step towards making schools in the border district drug-free.
Pakistan involved?
Kupwara is close to the Line of Control (LoC) and security agencies have been saying Pakistan is pushing drugs into J&K through LoC. There has been a surge in drug abuse in the Valley with religious leaders, politicians and civil society demanding that authorities should take concrete measures to prevent youth from falling into drug abuse.
The administration has already directed all 10 Deputy Commissions of Kashmir to do colour coding of the villages in their districts according to the number of individuals involved in substance use. The villages would be labelled as green, yellow and red depending upon the severity of drug abuse in the hamlets.
With the drug addicts using abandoned buildings for substance use, Deputy Commissioners have also been asked to divert abandoned government buildings or unutilised buildings to the nearby departments so that these structures shall not become hubs of drug addicts.
What the study says about drug abuse in Jammu and Kashmir
Drug abuse has become a major concern in Kashmir with a recent study by the Psychiatry Department of Government Medical College Srinagar revealing that Kashmir has surpassed Punjab in drug abuse cases and was currently positioned at number two among the top drug abuser regions in India, not far behind North East.
About 33,000 syringes are used to inject heroin by drug abusers in Valley every day, most drug abusers are in the age group of 17-33 years and unemployed and on average, a single drug abuser spends Rs 88,183 every month on substance abuse, as per the study. In its drive against drugs, police last year registered 1,693 cases against those involved in drugs abuse
