THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Excise department will utilize the corporate social funds of Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) to train students across the state in various sporting events as part of the anti-drug activities undertaken by Vimukthi mission. Bevco, which is the highest profit-making public sector undertaking in Kerala through liquor sales, had agreed to part with its funds earmarked for CSR activities for various anti-drug activities.
As part of the initiative, the coordinators of Vimukthi will select students in various age groups from several educational institutions and train them in various sporting events. As a pilot programme, the initiative will be launched in the capital and some schools, which are suspected to be suffering from increased substance abuse, have been identified for phase-I activities.
As per the order issued by the government in this regard, clearance has been given to utilize Bevco’s CSR funds for the purpose without treasury regulations, for which a bank account will be opened in the name of the excise commissioner. The funds will be transferred to this account by Bevco and it will be utilized for the stated purpose.
Vimukthi mission is being implemented with the help of student police cadets, Vimukthi anti-drug clubs set up in school and colleges, National Service Scheme, Kudumbashree units, resident associations, state library council, various student, youth and women’s organizations and Vimukthi committees formed at the ward, panchayat and block levels of local bodies.
State-wide campaigns to make students, youth and general public aware of the evils of drug addiction and alcoholism is being conducted as part of the mission under excise department.
Government has already spent a whopping figure for treatment of public for deaddiction under Vimukthi mission. A sum of Rs 37.52 crore was spent for running 14 deaddiction centres across the state. As many as 41,389 persons have availed deaddiction treatment from the government-run deaddiction centres in three years.
Excise department has now decided to set up de-addiction centres exclusively for women and children in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode. The government has been liberal in its excise policy in granting bar licenses; while the number of hotels with bar licences were only 29 at the end of the previous UDF government, the current figure is 619. The revenue from liquor sales in state was not hit despite Covid-19 hitting all sectors in the previous financial year.