Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will provide financial support to five non-government stakeholders to strengthen its de-addiction drive under the ‘DISHA’ scheme.
In this connection, an MoU has been signed by the Social Security and Empowerment of PwDs (SSEPD) for managing and providing services at the recovery centres for addicts run by the organisations.
Principal Secretary of the SSEPD Department Bishnupada Sethi said that the approach of the scheme is to provide a wide range of services including awareness generation, identification, counselling, treatment and rehabilitation of addicts through voluntary effort. All services at the recovery centre will be provided free of cost to the beneficiaries. He suggested the stakeholders maintain transparency and philanthropic spirit in such activities.
The MoU was signed at State Institute for Disability Rehabilitation (SIDR) in the presence of the Principal Secretary along with Niyati Pattnaik, Director, Dillip K Ray, Special Secretary and senior officers of the Department.
Faith Charitable Trust (Bhubaneswar), Mukti Foundation (Khurdha), Peoples Forum (Berhampur), Peoples Cultural Centre (Cuttack) and Vedic Group of Institutions (Berhampur) will get financial assistance for three years to run the recovery centres.
It was decided to expedite programmes and activities on de-addiction in the Nisamukt Bharat Abhijan State Committee Meeting held last December.