Kerala to run anti-liquor campaign through social media

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala government today today said it plans to tap the potential of social media to create awareness about the perils of liquor and drug abuse among youths with the slogan 'Addicted to life'.

The anti-drug and liquor campaign titled 'No to alcohol and No to drugs' under the initiative of the Excise Department would utilise social networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and WhatsApp to spread the message against drug abuse.

Initially, the programme would be implemented through Anti-Drug Clubs started in colleges and schools, Excise Minister K Babu said here today.

Stressing the significance of the awareness campaign, he said though 418 liquor bars had remained shut for the past three months, liquor sales through the operating 313 bars had shown an increase of 95 per cent.

Revenue for the current year from the sale of foreign liquor through State Beverages Corporation, the sole agency for sale of wholesale and retail sale liquor was expected to touch Rs 10,000 crore, he said, adding the figure last year was Rs 9,373 crore.

Speaker G Karthikeyan released the logo of the progamme at a function attended among others by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan.