District Legal Services Authority spearheads campaign under International Day Against Drug Abuse and Safe Medicine Initiative
Almora,
Under the directive of the Uttarakhand State Legal Services Authority, Nainital, and the guidance of District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Almora Chairperson Shri Shrikant Pandey, a series of awareness programmes were held today to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, along with the ongoing two-day campaign titled “Safe Drugs: Safe Life.”
The initiatives were led by Ms. Shachi Sharma, Secretary, DLSA Almora, who organized legal awareness camps at Ramsay Inter College and the remote village of Ladhouli. The sessions were aimed at educating students, villagers, and local residents on the harmful effects of drug abuse, methods of prevention, the importance of safe medicine usage, and the availability of free legal aid services.
Participants were also informed about the NALSA Helpline 15100, various schemes of NALSA and SALSA, the role of the District Legal Services Authority, and the importance of “Nyay Mitras” (Legal Volunteers) in rural outreach. Awareness pamphlets were distributed during the event, and legal volunteers were present at the camps to assist attendees.
Surprise Inspections Conducted at Medical Stores
As part of the broader “Safe Drugs: Safe Life” campaign, a joint inspection drive was conducted across several medical stores in Almora by a team comprising Senior Drug Inspector Meenakshi Bisht, Drug Inspector Pooja Joshi, Additional Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pramod Jangpangi, and DLSA Secretary Ms. Shachi Sharma.
The inspection focused on identifying expired medicines, checking store licenses, and reviewing compliance with regulatory safety standards. Several irregularities were observed—some stores lacked expired drug disposal boxes, others had no CCTV surveillance, and many were found to be unclean with poorly arranged inventories.
Ms. Sharma emphasized the serious health hazards posed by expired medicines and issued strict instructions to store owners to:
Maintain separate boxes for expired drugs,
Issue bills to every customer, and
Install CCTV cameras as per regulatory norms.
A Step Toward a Safer and Healthier Society
The awareness campaign run by the DLSA Almora stands as a commendable initiative in sensitizing the public to the dual threats of drug abuse and unsafe pharmaceuticals. Such proactive measures are crucial in building a safer and more informed society, especially in vulnerable and remote regions.
