‘Anti-drug campaign should begin at home’

Taluk Panchayat president Nalini Pradeep Rao said that the anti-drug campaign should begin at home.

Speaking after inaugurating the district-level anti-drug campaign week organised by the district administration in association with the Karnataka Temperance Board, Bengaluru, the taluk panchayat president said the home is the first school. Parents should take initiative to create awareness among children.

She advised elders to be cautious enough not to smoke and drink in the house. “If the elders inform the children of the bad effects of various addictions, it would help improve the situation in society,” she added.

Drunken driving

Rao also said that one thirds of the accidents reported in India are due to drunken driving, which is a rise in figures. Building a healthy society and nation is possible only when the children and youngsters remain away from drugs.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Vidya Kumari said that the youths should be determined and have goals to achieve. They should not fall prey to drug abuse, she advised, adding, “Students should work for social causes and contribute to the growth of society.”

Vineeth Rao of the Gandhi Study Centre at MGM College, Udupi, said that Mahatma Gandhi initiated his fight against drugs in 1920 itself.

Dr Ravindra Manoli, associate professor at the Psychiatry Department, KMC, delivered a talk on the ill-effects of drug abuse.

A rally was organised from Board High School to MGM College on the occasion.