Hyderabad: It appears that Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had made a valid point. Statistics and records indicate that Telangana does not have a ‘drug problem’ like Punjab or Maharashtra does. Though the massive crackdown on junkies is still on in Hyderabad with many bigwigs from Tollywood being rigorously grilled, there is still no reason to panic in Telangana.
Yes, there is a strong presence of narcotic drugs, from marijuana to cocaine, especially in a few sections of the society, but reports show Telangana’s place as much lower than the other states in the numbers’ game and as far as the drug menace is concerned in India.
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are at the top of the list of drug-related suicides in the country. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, there were 3,647 such suicide cases in India in a year, of which Maharashtra reported the highest, at 1,372. This was followed by Tamil Nadu, with 552 cases and Kerala, with 475.
“In Telangana drug is not so widespread as compared to many other states. For example Punjab. The strict enforcement so far has helped to keep the drug racket in check. The youngsters in our urban areas are also fairly conscious about the dangers of drug abuse”, said a senior official from Telangana government.
As per NCRB data, India records about 10 suicides due to drug or alcohol addiction. In comparison, the national average is three suicides per million of the population. The drug-related suicide rate in Kerala, for instance, is at least 10 times higher than Punjab.
Meanwhile, the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands stands out as an outlier with almost 37 such instances in a population of just about three lakh. Maharashtra may have reported the highest number of drug-related suicides in the country, but Kerala topped the list in terms of incidence rate.
Additionally, at least 12 states and Union Territories had a higher incidence of these cases than the national average. These include Haryana, Telangana, Mizoram and Tripura.
