Vimukti fails to rein in addiction

ALAPPUZHA: Vimukti, the district administration's mission to make the district tobacco- and drugs-free is not being implemented in more schools in the district, resulting in an increased number of students taking to criminal activities. Recently, five drug addict school children, who orchestrated a theft in a number of houses, including that of a high court judge, were taken into custody by Thrikkunnapuzha police recently.
Dr Nisha, district coordinator of Vimukti, said that the project was being implemented through panchayats, municipalities and schools, teachers, student counsellors and school health officials, but was failing to reach more schools due to the non-co-operation of the police, local bodies and others.
“The students who ended up in criminal activities are from schools that have not been introduced to the project, which has helped us identify those with a criminal mentality and give them proper counselling.  The programme has currently been implemented in only 190 schools while there are over 700 schools across the district. The main problem is the lack of co-ordination between  departments. We are trying to make the programme active this year since a large number of students fall prey to criminal activities”, she says.      
The district administration introduced the project, the first of its kind in the state, in 2010 to build up a new culture among students.
According to the data, it has been able to give counselling to at least 785 students over through the last four years. The students, who were given counselling, were found to be addicts of pan (82 per cent), alcohol (32 per cent), smoking (16 per cent), drugs (10 per cent) and tobacco chewing (14 per cent).
“In 2010-11, about 166 schools reported, 212 were given direct counselling. While 196 schools reported  in 2011- 12 (224 were given counselling), drug addiction had gone down to 150 in 2012- 13 (260 were given counselling). Last year (2013- 14) only 50 schools (79 were given counselling) were willing to provide a report,” she says.
Last year, District Collector N.Padmakumar had said that the Vimukti initiative would be expanded to all schools in the district, including the unaided ones. He also said that the expansion would take place with the co-operation of different associations, including youth clubs, adding that multiple and parallel approaches were needed to reduce tobacco consumption.