Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Tuesday dedicated the Socio-Economic Rehabilitation Centre for drug abuse victims at the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS), Srinagar, marking the launch of the Phase-I pilot of the Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Scheme for Drug Abuse Victims, 2026.
The centre has been established by the Social Welfare Department in coordination with the Health and Medical Education Department, district administration and other stakeholders to provide structured rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration support to persons recovering from substance abuse.
Principal Secretary Home, Commissioner Secretary Health and Medical Education, Commissioner Secretary Social Welfare, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Principal Government Medical College Srinagar, Head IMHANS and senior doctors and faculty members attended the inauguration.
After inaugurating the facility, Dulloo inspected the doctors’ rooms, counselling spaces, group therapy facilities and referral and emergency linkage arrangements. He said the centre would serve as the beginning of a sustained rehabilitation journey, helping beneficiaries regain confidence, reconnect with families and communities and return to productive lives.
He described the pilot as an important step towards translating the rehabilitation policy into a functional ground-level mechanism and said the experience gained at IMHANS would help strengthen and expand the model across other districts of Jammu and Kashmir. He stressed the need for sustained coordination among departments, health institutions, district administrations and community stakeholders for the initiative’s success.
Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education, M. Raju said the centre has been designed as a comprehensive support mechanism that goes beyond de-addiction treatment to include rehabilitation, recovery, family engagement and socio-economic reintegration. He said IMHANS was identified as one of the principal pilot institutions following directions issued during a high-level review chaired by the Chief Secretary.
Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare, Sarmad Hafeez said the centre will provide a multidisciplinary framework comprising medical assessment, counselling, social work intervention, family engagement, case management, referral and follow-up through an Individual Rehabilitation Plan for every beneficiary.
He said the initiative aims to support recovery while helping beneficiaries rebuild family and community relationships and access education, skill development, livelihood opportunities and sustainable reintegration.
Principal, GMC Srinagar, Prof. (Dr.) Iffat Hassan Shah said the centre will coordinate with community-level stakeholders, including ASHA workers, Self Help Groups and other frontline functionaries, to extend rehabilitation beyond institutional care. She said the framework also envisages training medical officers, psychiatrists, counsellors and social welfare officials in screening, assessment, counselling, family engagement, case management and relapse-risk identification.
Officials said the centre will function as a bridge between clinical care and community-based rehabilitation, with a focus on continuity of care after treatment and reducing the risk of relapse and social exclusion.
The scheme also includes collaboration with the National Drug De-addiction and Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS New Delhi, for training, mentoring, observer ships and joint research in addiction psychiatry and rehabilitation interventions.
The government said IMHANS Srinagar will serve as the institutional anchor for the pilot, providing beneficiaries with a structured pathway from treatment and stabilisation to rehabilitation and socio-economic reintegration.
