After hundreds of success stories of bringing ray of hope in the lives of addicts across the district, Jana Jagruti Vedike Mangalore organised a Jana Jagruti Convention and Nava Jeevana Committee organised a motivation camp at Kadri Shree Majunatheshwara Temple premises on Sunday.

Inaugurating the programme, Shree Kshethra Dharmasthala dharmadhikari, Dr D Veerendra Heggade said that it is indeed laudable that government without succumbing to any pressure has banned arrack in the State but the entire programme of banning liquor will serve the actual purpose when the people are told about the aim of banning liquor.

“Government must set aside a sum of atleast Rs 10-20 crores for Jana Jagruti programmes to make people voluntarily give up liquor. If at all even a small chunk of people feel that the ban has helped them, then the ban will be meaningful,” he said.

Dr Heggade called upon for a intensive Prachar Andolan across the State, specifically aiming the school and college students to speak about the ill-effects of alcohol.

He said that transformation is a rule of nature which takes place under influence by various factors like family, society itself, education etc. The result of this influence can be either good or bad. The decision that an individual makes between the good and the bad shapes his future.

Dr Heggade said that the ones who have been de-addicted in such camps have got a new sense of confidence to come out and mix up with people. “The greatest strength in these de-addicted people is that they have the courage to come up in open and speak of their failures and mistakes, which many successful people fail to do,” he added.

Karnataka State Cashew Development Board former district president Ivan D’Souza said that though liquor is banned in the State it has not yet been done effectively as there are stray instances of production of illicit liquor. “In certain illicit liquor cases, the accused when questioned said that the police had asked them to produce liquor, but then the same officers raided them too,” he added.

Earlier Mr Manikiah, a driver from Ullal spoke of his experience in the camp and how it has reformed him. “Till I joined the camp I was treated as a nuisance. Today I have taken about 15 people to such camps and I stand as an example to many addicts, that if I can change myself, so can they,” he said and added that there is a misconception among the people that in these camps the addicts are treated with some injections to quit alcohol, which he said was false.

Mangalore MLA N Yogish Bhat presided over the programme. Former minister Ramanath Rai, Ullal MLA U T Khader and others participated in the programme.