The launch of the Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir Abhiyaan marks more than a ceremonial beginning. Its timing is not accidental. Jammu and Kashmir today confronts a drug menace. This menace has quietly hollowed out families, diverted the energies of a generation, and provided an adversarial neighbour with one of its most insidious instruments of destabilisation. The Abhiyaan, therefore, deserves to be treated not as a Government programme but as a civilisational necessity.
Prevention, as every public health textbook affirms, is always superior to cure. It is dramatically less expensive, both in human and financial terms. This makes the campaign’s emphasis on youth not merely relevant but indispensable. The statistics of drug addiction in J&K are, by all credible accounts, alarming, far beyond what reported case numbers suggest. Every reported case is the visible crest of a much larger wave concealed by stigma and family shame. The six-phase structure of the Abhiyaan reflects a correct understanding that prevention and cure must run in parallel. Families are the first line of defence. A parent who notices early signs of behavioural change is worth a dozen pamphlets. Teachers, too, occupy a position of extraordinary influence. Peer networks can serve as the most powerful counterforce against it. The Abhiyaan’s call for participation by athletes, social workers, women’s groups, and community leaders signals the right instinct – that this campaign must be owned by society, not merely administered by Government.
The geography of J&K makes the supply-side challenge qualitatively different from that of Punjab. The plains of Punjab, however porous, permit a degree of surveillance that the rugged, forested hill terrain and long mountain borders of Jammu and Kashmir simply do not. Cross-border smuggling networks have adapted to this reality with ruthless efficiency. The consequence is a market flooded with narcotics whose street price can be ten times higher when reaching other parts of India, making J&K an extraordinarily lucrative destination and ensuring that the trafficking networks remain extraordinarily motivated. Despite periodic seizures and tall official claims, drugs continue to reach J&K in bulk quantities. The honest reckoning with this reality is a precondition for any serious response.
At the border, the BSF bears primary responsibility for choking the supply lines. Within the border, the burden falls on the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The administration has correctly placed accountability at the district level, assigning SSPs clear ownership over anti-narcotics outcomes in their jurisdictions. The data on addiction cases registered and drug suppliers apprehended – large networks and small – will be the most reliable barometer of how seriously each district is pursuing the mandate. Designating senior civil administrators as mentors for all twenty districts adds a second layer of accountability, ensuring that district administrations remain responsive to ground intelligence and cannot deflect responsibility upward. The supply chain is the jugular of the narcotics trade. Breaking it is the single most important operational priority. The administration’s new SOP – including the revocation of passports, driving licences, Aadhaar numbers, and arms licences; the issuance of Look Out Circulars against absconders; the attachment of movable and immovable property under the NDPS Act; and the freezing of bank accounts – represents a significant escalation in legal pressure. These measures are designed to make the business existentially ruinous for those who pursue it.
Equally important is the rehabilitation dimension. Those already ensnared in addiction are not criminals to be punished but casualties to be recovered. The notification for rehabilitation centres is a timely step towards ensuring that treatment facilities meet minimum standards of care and are subject to continuous monitoring. The mass walkathon, the anti-drug pledge, the cultural performances, the sports tournaments, and the debates to be held across villages and district headquarters – all of this matters. Public ceremonies build shared resolve and break through the silence that allows addiction to fester in private. Society in J&K has responded with genuine warmth: communities are ready to act. The administration must ensure that every input from civil society is acted upon.
The intent is clear, the policies are drafted, officials have been assigned, and society has been mobilised. Fortnightly reviews must be institutionalised without fail so that course corrections happen in real time. Positive results should be visible within weeks.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
