A comprehensive de-addiction and rehabilitation programme for drug offenders, ‘PAYANAM’ (Positive Awareness Yielding Against Narcotics Addiction Movement), was launched as a pilot project at Central Prison-II in Puzhal on Thursday.
The programme was inaugurated by the Director-General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Sandeep Rai Rathore. Designed to facilitate de-addiction, behavioural change, rehabilitation and social reintegration, PAYANAM, will provide inmates with counselling, psychological support, therapeutic interventions, life-skills training and rehabilitation assistance.
Addressing the participants, Mr. Rathore said drug addiction affected not only individuals but also inmates’ families and society. The correctional system, he said, should therefore extend beyond custody to treatment, reform, rehabilitation and re-integration.
Published – September 25, 2026 12:40 am IST
