PESHAWAR, May 2: NWFP Minister for Zakat, Ushr and Social Welfare Hafiz Hashmat Khan on Monday said that around 1,000 drug addicts had been rehabilitated in the seven centres set up by the MMA government in various districts of the province.

“The Social Welfare Department is planning to set up similar drug rehabilitation centres in other parts of the province with the cooperation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs),” the minister told journalists at one of these centres here.

He said that free boarding and lodging, medical, food and clothing, recreational, counselling on moral values, vocational training and sport facilities were being provided to the drug addicts.

He said that some drug addicts came voluntarily to these centres while others were being brought from the streets by the department’s staff.

Mr Hashmat said that the rehabilitation process of drug addicts would get momentum with the establishment of new centres.

He said that after detoxification in hospitals, drug addicts were being rehabilitated at their home districts where they were helped in self-employment through the Zakat fund.

He said that the Social Welfare Department had set up two Darul Kafalas, one each for the rehabilitation of male and female beggars.

Mr Hashmat said: “These two centres are working well and a similar centre for child beggars will be established in Peshawar in mid-May.”

He said that 636 male and 230 female beggars had been rehabilitated since the establishment of these centres last year.

He said that a considerable reduction had been witnessed in the number of beggars in the city and professional beggars had been discouraged after the department staff raided the spots where beggars were present.

The minister said that lacunae in the Vagrancy Ordinance-1958 were hampering their efforts as the beggars got their release through the courts. He said that the social welfare and law departments had proposed some amendments in the Ordinance, which would be presented in the assembly.

He said that the beggars and drug addicts were being trained as canners, tailors and electricians and after completing their training they were given relevant instruments so that they could start their own business.

He said that NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani had announced a temporary grant of Rs5 million for this project and some individuals had also donated Rs200,000.

The minister asked philanthropists to donate generously to these two rehabilitation projects to root out the social evils of drug abuse and beggary from society.

He said that the federal government had promised to construct six Social Welfare complexes in different parts of the province at an estimated cost of Rs86 million where such activities would be initiated.

Also present on the occasion were the secretary, Social Welfare, Noorul Haq, and the director, Social Welfare and Women Development, Dr Fakhrul Islam.