Drug Prevention Week declared from January 21-28

President Maithripala Sirisena has stated that all new governors are expected to directly mediate in order to achieve the expected development goals by making public services systematic and efficient.

The President made this statement at a meeting with Governors, Chief Secretaries of provincial councils and other officials at the Presidential Secretariat today (11).

Discussions were also focus on special projects implemented by the Presidential Secretariat and development projects held at the district level, according to the President’s Media Division.

The President’s instructions are being implemented under the Presidential Secretariat with the aim of enriching and uplifting the general public.

The “National Drug Prevention Program” and the “Grama Shakthi People’s Movement”are the major program among other program of the President’s Office. The National Program on the Protection of the Children of the Country, Environmental Protection National Program for environment conservation and the National Food Production Program as well as the National Chronic Kidney Disease Prevention Program are being implemented island wide.

The week from January 21st to January 28th is named as the “Drug prevention week,” and several programs are being organized to make the society aware about the repercussions of drugs usage. 

These programmes target to educate the school children, government officers, and the general public and creative programs are to be composed. President Sirisena requested the  Governors, and Secretaries of Provincial Councils  to pay  their personal attention towards these programmes.

President Sirisena recalled that, when he was working as the Minister of Health he started his campaign against drugs menace in the country and as a result strict laws, rules and regulations have been established to curb drug trafficking. 

He said our laws against drugs are more effective than the laws in many other countries in the world and he would take every step to eradicate drugs and win that challenge within his tenure.

A number of special programs are conducted within the North Eastern provinces against drugs and the progresses of those programs were also reviewed at this meeting.

The week starting from 18th of February to 23rd is announced as the week of Gramashakthi People’s movement while programs are conducted to spread the Gramashakthi People’s movement to 4000 villages. The Governors were briefed on this program, the PMD said.