THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sachin Tendulkar, the brand ambassador for the Vimukthi Mission to be launched by the state
Excise Department, would attend a mega show later this month in Thiruvananthapuram as part of a major campaign against drug abuse and alcoholism, Excise Minister T T Ramakrishnan said here on Friday.
Inaugurating a seminar titled ‘Drugs-free Kerala’, held as part of the Gandhi Jayanti week celebrations here, Ramakrishnan said the Kerala Lahari Vimuktha Mission (Vimukthi) would start functioning from next month. Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar had agreed to serve as the brand ambassador of Vimukthi and he would attend the shows aimed at reaching out to students and youths, he said.
Drug addicts and alcoholics would be given counselling and other youths would be sensitised about the ill-effects of drugs and alcohol, he said. Noted personalities from the sports and cultural sectors would be engaged to lead the campaign against liquor and drugs.
Local self-government bodies would be engaged to rope in a large number of youths, children and women to take up the campaign against drug abuse, the minister said. V S Sivakumar MLA and Mayor V K Prasanth also spoke on the occasion.