THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ‘Addicted to Life’, the social media campaign of the Excise Department to coax youngsters away from liquor, seems to have become a hit overnight.
More than 28,240 people have joined Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in ‘liking’ the campaign’s Facebook page, which Chandy launched last Wednesday by ‘liking’ it from his own Facebook account.
The department, which is hosting the campaign in association with the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) - the state monopoly for liquor sales - has roped in actors including Mammootty to take the message to the younger generation.
“We thought it the best way to reach out to the younger generation, who anyway spend a large chunk of their time on social media networks. Alongside, we have also started a survey among college students on alcohol use in Kozhikode. This will be extended across the state,” Excise Minister K Babu said. “We hope to make the youth addicted to life,” he said.Visitors in general have welcomed the initiative, but there are also some comments that take a dig at the Excise Department.
How can an anti-liquor campaign launched by a department that sells liquor be termed credible?, wonders one visitor.
Two years ago, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had also posed the same question in the Performance Audit of the Excise Department, criticising the department for making policy statements about discouraging alcohol consumption on the one hand while doling out bar licences on the other.
“The campaign has gone viral on Facebook and WhatsApp. Several actors too have joined actor Mammootty in promoting the campaign,” Abdul Manaf, who coordinates the campaign for the Excise Department, said.
The Excise Department is also planning to organise short film and photography contests as part of the one-year-long campaign.