Aimed at cleansing the state of alcohol and drug abuse, the Kerala government today launched a major project 'Subodham' which will help people overcome substance addiction.
The project was officially launched by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Sri Sri Ravishankar, Founder, Art of Living Foundation here in the presence of religious leaders, representatives of various student organisations and NGOs working against drug abuse.
"The state government aims to wipe out the menace of substance addiction from our society through Subodham," Chandy said.
"If total alcohol prohibition could save the society, the state government is ready to forego the revenue from the sale of liquor that is around Rs 7000 crore per annum," he said, adding, the new initiative would be successful only if all the stakeholders of the society become part of it.
"The state is ready to bear the expenses for the awareness drives and rehabilitation of people as part of this initiative," Chandy said.
"Kerala can become a model-state in anti-alcohol and drug awareness as well as rehabilitation initiatives. This initiative is very much a need of the hour. It will be a great achievement if we can implement the project successfully," said Sri Sri Ravishankar.
Excise Minister K Babu said "the State Education Department has agreed to include anti-drug and alcohol awareness content in the state curriculum from the next academic year."
"The Subodham campaign aims to free one lakh people from drug and alcohol addiction each year. Subodham heralds the first step towards Punarjani 2030 Project, a state government initiative to completely eradicate the menace of substance abuse in Kerala," said Babu who is also the Chairman of Subodham.
"I am happy that the state government with the help of the Art of Living Foundation and UNICEF has succeeded in bringing together people from different religions and faiths for such a noble initiative," said Social Justice Minister M K Muneer.
The Subodham project, envisaged by the Excise Department, will be implemented by a high-level committee comprising of experts from various fields.
On the occasion, Sri Sri Ravishankar read out the 'Faith in Action' declaration.
