Badal's nod to strengthen drug de-addiction centres in jails

With a view to weaning away the inmates from drug-addiction and ensure their timely and proper treatment, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today approved Rs 2.50 crore to strengthen the drug de-addiction centres (DDCs) set up in eight Central jails across the state.
Presiding over a high level meeting here with the senior officials of Police, Jail and Health department to modernise the existing DDCs in all the central prisons in the state, Badal said that the entire exercise to put in place a mechanism to curb the menace of drug-addiction amongst the inmates must be completed within three months, an official release said here.

Appreciating the suggestions put forth by Dr Ajit Awasthi, Prof and Head of Psychiatry department, PGIMER, Chandigarh for bringing reforms in the health set up in jails, the Chief Minister asked the officers to implement all his recommendations in right earnest so as to ensure complete revamp of the existing DDCs, the release said.
Meanwhile, ADGP Jails, R P Meena apprised the Chief Minister that as many as 5,682 inmates had been treated in the DDCs and 336 were under treatment.
Badal also directed the senior officers of the Jail Department and DGP to ensure strict vigil round-the-clock to check drug trafficking in the jails.