Amid rising cases of substance abuse and related violence, Alappuzha district panchayat will launch a mass anti-drug campaign. As part of the initiative titled ‘Jeevithamanu Lahari,’ measures will be taken to encourage youth and students to participate in sports.

Alappuzha district panchayat president K.G. Rajeshwari said that sports training programmes would be implemented in all schools. “We will take steps to establish new sports clubs in all grama panchayat wards in the district. Necessary assistance will be provided to clubs for purchasing sports equipment. An award will also be given to the panchayat that registers the highest number of clubs,” Ms. Rajeshwari said.

As part of the campaign, hotspots where drugs are sold or used will be identified and surveillance will be strengthened by installing CCTV cameras. Meetings will be organised in hotspots with the participation of representatives of political parties, youth organisations, libraries, Kudumbashree Mission, youth clubs, and officials of Police and Excise departments.

Committee formed

To ensure the campaign’s success, a 1,001-member committee has been constituted with Ms. Rajeshwari as the chairperson. A meeting of the committee held on Thursday decided to make a recommendation to the State government to take necessary action against movies that promote excessive violence, Korean films, and games that negatively impact children’s mental well-being.

Alappuzha district panchayat vice-president N.S. Sivaprasad, standing committee chairpersons M.V. Priya, T.S. Thaha, Binu Isaac Raju, district panchayat secretary K.R. Devadas, district sports council president P.J. Joseph and others attended the meeting.