RANCHI: Peeved by the drinking habit of their men, nearly 10,000 women from the Gond-Bhuiyan tribal community from more than 35 villages in West Singbhum district of Jharkhand have embarked upon a unique de-addiction drive where they destroy local breweries. According to Jayanti Biruli, a Panchayat Samiti member who is leading the campaign, their objective is to save families from destruction.
Most of the women associated with this drive are illiterate. After the drive was launched, the selling of liquor and ‘handia’ (rice beer) along the roadside has started disappearing in the region. “Though the campaign has slowed down due to the pandemic, we have been conducting de-addiction drive for quite some time covering more than 35 villages and nearly 10,000 SHG (self-help group) women are associated with us. Under this campaign, we destroy the breweries in the villages. We warn breweries’ owners to change their business or they will be handed over to police,” said Biruli who hails from Choya village under Jhinkpani Block.
According to Biruli, it all started during a weekly meeting conducted by the SHG members a few years back. “One of the women raised the issue of addiction which had been destroying several families and the decision was taken to launch a campaign against it,” Biruli said. People in the region are so much addicted to drinking that death takes place almost every week.
Another woman Lenboti Honega from Rajanka Village under Tonto Block, who is also associated with ‘Nasha Mukti Abhiyaan,’ said: “Now as the things are getting normal, we are planning to revive the campaign under which women from all the villages will march towards district headquarters to stage a day-long ‘dharna’ and hand over a memorandum to the deputy commissioner asking him to impose a complete ban on liquor.”
“Due to lack of development, there is no source of income for the people in this region and hence people take up brewing as the easiest way to make money,” she added. They would also be meeting CM Hemant Soren requesting him to ban liquor to save families from getting destroyed.