10 % of Meghalaya population affected by drugs : Gov

Voicing concern over high prevalence of HIV, drug use and tonnage pregnancy in Meghalaya, State Governor CH Vijayashankar on Tuesday said ten percent of the population or around three lakh have been affected by drugs in the State.
Speaking at the 8th Riti Academy annual award ceremony held at Raj Bhavan, Vijayashankar said the authorities fighting to tackle the growing drug abuse in the state should first try to stop the flow of drugs into the state.
Vijayashankar said that the Raj Bhavan, a week ago, convened a meeting to discuss ways to tackle drug abuse in the state.
“All stakeholders must work together to tackle this issue of drug abuse, which is a concern for everyone in the state,” the Governor appealed. Vijayashankar also described the high prevalence of teenage pregnancy in the state as a “worrying trend”.
According to the Meghalaya Governor, recently a doctor from NEIGRIHMS who came to meet him said that she had to attend to a 14-year-old pregnant girl.
“She herself is a child. Teenage marriage should not be allowed at any cost,” the Governor said.
Coupled with teen pregnancy is the concern over high prevalence of HIV in the state, the Governor said. According to the state government there are over 10,000 individuals in the state who have tested positive. 9,421 such individuals are currently undergoing treatment, while 785 have declined to receive medical care.