Meet moots framing of State policy on reproductive health rights

IMPHAL, Jan 28: The need to formulate an exclusive State policy and plan on sexual reproductive health rights so as to spread awareness among the youth was mooted during a Coalition Meeting held today at Hotel Nirmala here.
Representatives of CSOs who participated in the technical CSO discussion programme on Action Project implemented by Social Awareness Service Organisation; AASHA, Imphal East and FDDUO, Imphal West under India HIV/AIDS Alliance, strongly felt the necessity to sensitise the youth on sexual reproductive health rights.
The Action Project, which has been aimed to spread awareness on sexual reproductive health rights among the youth, was for the first time implemented in the State in 2010.
The primary target group under the Action Project was the sex workers, IDUs and MSMs. The secondary target group included policy makers, health service providers, teachers, parents and religious leaders.
The project has been implemented in Imphal East and Imphal West districts, each divided into four segments. The three-year project ends January this year.
Around 37,000 youths were sensitised on sexual reproductive health rights under the project using various forms of media.
Addressing the meeting, general secretary of Manipur Network of Positive People, Salam Uditta said ignorance of the youths on sexual reproductive health rights led to occurrence of various sexual crimes among the youth in the State. Various family problems erupted due to underage marriage and premarital sexual relation, Udita said while adding parents also need to be aware of the sexual reproductive health rights.
Udita further maintained that the Govt and its various departments should consider framing a State policy on the matter in order to spread awareness among the youth of the State.
General secretary of SASO, Sashikumar said awareness on sexual reproductive health rights has been reached to several youths under Action Project. He said the implementation of the programme would not be a success unless a follow-up programme in the form of framing state policy on sexual reproductive health rights is taken up by the Government.
State Nodal Officer of NRHM, Dr Ibemcha said that adolescent clinic has been started at CHCs and selected PHCs under NRHM in the State. However, due to lack of awareness, only few visited the clinic, Dr Ibemcha said while adding that adolescents could consult their problems relating to sexual reproductive health rights at the clinics.
Sharing experience, Project Manager of Action Project conveyed the need to include sex education in school curricula.

http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/tseitm-23209-meet-moots-framing-of-state-policy-on-reproductive-health-rights/ 

Inspector Ranjit transferred for not following official norms: SP, Imphal West

The Superintendent of Police, Imphal West District Police has clarified that Inspector of Special Intelligence Unit, K Ranjit, who led the team behind the seizure of a large haul of smuggled tablets at Imphal Airport, was transferred as he ignored official norms which resulted in the smugglers making good their escape.
In a clarification to the news items carried in local dailies, a statement from the police released on Tuesday stated that the SIU was primarily formed with the personnel drawn from different units of Imphal West District Police as an internal administrative arrangement of the district police to facilitate in carrying out drives against offenders of vehicle thefts and fake document and certificate and counterfeit currency rackets. It added that in cases related to contraband drug cases and other contraband products, the task are normally entrusted to Narcotic Cell, which is another unsanctioned unit of the state police department.
Normally, whenever there is any intelligence input pertaining to any such crimes is received by the Narcotic Cell or SIU, the information is immediately passed on to the SP, under whom the units functioned directly. The SP in turn directs the concerned police station to tie-up with the Narcotic and SIU and investigate the case jointly, the statement added.
However, during the seizure of contraband drugs from the airport on January 11, the SIU team under the command of Inspector Ranjit acted independently without informing the SP although he was available for correspondence. The statement noted that had the SIU team informed the SP or the concerned police station, the owners of the seized drugs would also have been captured on that day itself.
It added that because of the hectic efforts put by the officer-in-charge of Narcotic Cell, Imphal West and Singjamei Police, one of those involved in the racket, Md Rajauddin, 29, son of Md Riyazuddin of Lilong Sambrukhong was arrested on January 18 after the SIU was winded off.
The statement further clarified that the detection of smuggling of drugs transported through air cargo is a difficult task as the identities of both the senders and receivers are usually fictitious. It added that despite the odds, the district police have been able to detect and identified the owners of the drugs transported through air cargo in a number of cases.
The issue of using fictitious name by drug smugglers in transportation of the cargo have been taken up seriously by DGP himself and had already taken up the case with the appropriate authorities under the Narcotic Control Bureau, New Delhi and Bureau of Civil Aviations, New Delhi, the statement added. After the transfer of Inspector Ranjit, the same function of the SIU is being continued by the Narcotic Cell, Imphal West, it added.

http://thepeopleschronicle.in/?p=10408

Woman nabbed along with heroin

IMPHAL, Jan 22: A team of Narcotics and Affairs of Border personnel arrested a woman drug peddler along with 27 gram of banned heroin powder today from Hao Keithel area here.
According to a statement issued by the OC of NAB, a team of its personnel led by Inspector RK Bikramjit rushed to Hao Keithel this morning around 8.50 following specific inputs.
A lady was spotted moving around the market area very suspiciously at around 9.30am at Hao Keithel parking area, on BT road in front of Pragyati pharmacy, said the statement.
The NAB personnel, including lady police personnel detained her. On checking her body, 27 gram of banned Heroin powder tightly packed in a white plastic container with green cap branded as Man Prasand and kept concealed in her undergarments was recovered, it stated.
The woman has been identified as Kshetrimayum Ibemhal Devi (51) w/o (L) Ksh Manibabu Singh of Kakching Khunou Thongam Leikai, Thoubal district and presently staying at Moreh Ward No 2.
She was arrested immediately along with the seized item.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the seized Heroin powder was brought from Moreh and destined to spread in the Markets of the State, it said.
At the same time, the NAB appealed the general public not to indulge in such illegal trafficking and stay alert against such dealings. Informing that such raids would be continued, the NAB officer urged all concerned to extend cooperation to the police so as to stop the illegal practice as well as drug menace in the State.



 http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/tseitm-23071-woman-nabbed-along-with-heroin/

Revive Special Intelligence Unit

IMPHAL, Jan 21: Making it clear that they suspect a conspiracy behind the abrupt transfer of SIU OC K Ranjit to CAR and subsequent abolition of SIU in the aftermath of the seizure of drugs worth Rs 1.4 crores from Tulihal Airport on January 11, 12 different civil society organisations have jointly submitted a memorandum to the Governor, the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and the DGP.
The memorandum jointly submitted by CADA, Nupi Samaj, UPF, NIPCO, AMSU, Tammi Chingmi, Macha Leima, MAPI Council, ANUL, EECHAL, TDWDO and UPACO while conveying their suspicion of the involvement of some high ranking officials in smuggling drugs into the State, demanded revival of the abolished SIU as well reinstatement of K Ranjit to his former post.
Pointing out that civil society organisations, Meira Paibis, local clubs and NGOs have been trying their best to uproot drug menace from the State since the past many decades, the memorandum noted that illicit drugs continue to pose stiff challenges for the past 20 years during which widows, orphans and people living with HIV/AIDS have multiplied manifold.
The memorandum also demanded disclosure of the particular smuggler whose drugs were seized from Imphal airport.
The civil society organisations further urged the Government to fulfil all their three demands by January 27.

http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/tseitm-23028-revive-siu/ 

By : Our Staff Reporter

Opioid Substitution Therapy : One Of The Treatments For Addicts From drug addict to health worker

IMPHAL, Dec 28 : Literally, the life of L Kenneth is a journey of transformation from being a drug addict to an active health worker.

Usually drug addicts are seen as rascals and often treated with scorn in the society. But they do not necessarily represent a lost case. They can certainly transform themselves into responsible citizens of the society.

L Kenneth was once ostracized by his family for his drug habit as someone who was good for nothing. But today he has successfully given up his drug addiction and is no longer a slave of any opioids.

After undergoing Opioid Substitution Therapy, Kenneth is now working as an active health worker. Apart from his efforts to check transmission of such diseases like HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, he is also taking a big role in ensuring that drug addicts receive health care services.

In addition to the protracted political armed conflict and various other issues plaguing the State, Manipur’s location on the transit route of drugs like heroin, morphine, spasmoproxybon capsules lured many youngsters to take to these drugs, and many of them often end up being drug addicts.

Generally, drug addicts have little concern about the responsibility towards themselves, families and the society at large. Sometimes, they become agents of several criminal activities. Given this reality, parents and families need to take extra care for de-addiction of these youngsters.

Of the many medication and treatment facilities available in the State, Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) is one.

Registered drug addicts are given medically safe Bupremorphine at OST centers under the method of direct observation treatment.

Initially, Kenneth was given 10 mg of Bupremorphine everyday. The dose was gradually reduced to 0.2 mg per day. After this stage, Bupremorphine was given on alternate days.

And ultimately he was able to carry on with life without any opioids nor OST treatment.

“Now I’m free from the bondage of opioids. Not only I am shouldering my responsibility towards my family but I’m also working as an outreach worker”, Kenneth said.

Kenneth started taking heroin in 1998 when he was in college. As he eventually became a drug addict, he was put in detoxification camps four times, and another four times in drug rehabilitation centres.

All these measures could not wean away Kenneth from his drug habit. It was in 2006 when he registered himself in the OST centre opened at the Care Foundation.

While undergoing treatment at Care Foundation, Kenneth started working as a counsellor. However, he got re-lapsed and reverted to the old habit of injecting drugs.

He again registered for OST treatment at the Manipur Network Positive People in 2010. By January 2012, Kenneth could go on with his life without OST treatment, and he was finally freed from the much hated remark of being a drug addict.

In the meantime, from being a peer educator Kenneth graduated to the level of outreach worker.

“Like many other drug addicts, I was always thinking how could I give up my drug habit but fearing the withdrawal symptoms, we continued taking drugs”.

“People must have firm determination and will power, to give up drugs if they got addicted once”, Kenneth said.

Elaborating on OST treatment, Kenneth said that OST can reduce all kinds of health risks generally associated with drug addition.

There is no risk of overdose in using Bupremorphine. At the same, it gave the same kick one received by using opioids.

As no syringe is shared for injecting drugs, OST provides no room for transmission of virus which causes HIV or Hepatitis C.

World Health Organisation in 2009 identified OST as the best form of treatment of opioid dependents in developed as well as developing countries.

OST also reduces risk behaviours prone to HIV infection, Kenneth said.

29-Dec-2012 / 02:10 AM / Our Staff Reporter / 0 Comments

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