Stories from UNODC South Asia

Bhutan: Safeguarding youth from the perils of drug use

9 May 2012 - The increasing use of drugs by the youth in Bhutan is a major concern for government agencies and civil society organizations. According to the 'National Baseline Assessment' (NBA) on drugs and controlled substance use (2009) carried out by the Bhutan Narcotics Control Agency (BNCA) and UNODC, the mean age at the onset of alcohol use was 16 years in 14 districts of the country, where surveys were carried out.[Read More]

***

India: Strengthening transparency and accountability in procurement procedures

26 April 2012 - Procurement is the acquisition of goods or services by public bodies and private companies. The prime objective of any procurement is getting the right product or service, at the right price and quality at the right time. However, procurement processes are also highly vulnerable to corruption, collusion, fraud and manipulation. Estimates suggest that 20-30 per cent of the value of procurement may be lost through corruption[Read More]

***

India: 332 days at the mercy of Somali pirates - a survivor’s account

2 April 2012 - For 22-year-old student Pralav Dhyani from India, piracy was a very distant reality. "I had heard of piracy from my colleagues, but I really did not know much about it," he says. All this changed on the morning of 11 April 2010, when MV RAK Afrikana, a cargo vessel he was sailing with from Seychelles to Zanzibar was hijacked by Somali pirates. A nautical sciences student, Pralav and his shipmates were held hostage in Somalia for 332 days[Read More]

***
All Stories