Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Tuesday, 14 July 2020 00:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Government of Japan has provided grant aid worth Japanese Yen 200 million (approximately Rs. 345 million) to strengthen the anti-illegal drug measures of the Government.
The Exchange of Notes for the above grant aid was signed between Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka Sugiyama Akira and Ministry of Finance, Economic and Policy Development Secretary S.R. Attygalle on 13 July at the Ministry of Finance, Economic and Policy Development.
The prevalence of drugs related activities in Sri Lanka has hiked in recent years and has been recognised as an emerging social problem. Drug abuse is associated with organised crime and the underworld activities and has a significant negative impact on individuals and society as a whole.
The Government of Japan has been providing training programs via JICA to support capacity building of the Sri Lanka Police officials and those engaged in awareness raising activities to ensure corrective support against drug reuse. In order to further accelerate the ongoing efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka, the Government of Japan has decided to provide additional grant assistance to mitigate the influx of illegal drugs in the island. Under this project, the latest equipment manufactured by Japanese enterprises will be provided to strengthen the capacity of Sri Lanka Police to investigate drug trafficking and to detect motorists under the influence of drugs. This includes the GC–MS (Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer) which analyse the identification of drugs, narcotic and explosives, mobile X-ray scanners which scrutinise suspicious items and Handy-type Raman spectrometers which uncover narcotics, drugs and explosive traces.
Through this assistance, the Government of Japan will contribute to tackling the growing challenges of drug menace and eradicating drug smuggling and drug trafficking in Sri Lanka to build a healthy and secured nation free of drugs for future generation.
