VIJAYAWADA: As many as 571 alcohol and drug addicts committed suicide for various reasons in Andhra Pradesh in 2021, Home Minister Taneti Vanitha informed the Legislative Assembly during the recently concluded Monsoon session.
She was responding to a query raised on the number of suicides in the State due to consumption of drugs and addiction to alcohol.The minister added that the police department has been investigating the cause behind the suicides.
The State government, in coordination with the Indian Psychiatric Society of AP branch, has been conducting campaigns to prevent suicides, the minister said. Society has also come forward to be part of the counselling centres being run by the State police.
On steps taken to reduce suicides, the minister informed the House that four lakh youngsters were made to take an oath that they would not indulge in any kind of drug abuse or alcohol consumption.She said that around 10 lakh youngsters were sensitised in the rallies, webinars and elocution competitions and added that the government has also roped in Mahila Police to conduct meetings in villages to sensitise the rural youth on the harm that drugs and alcohol can cause.
Similarly, the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) is also conducting campaigns to educate people to keep them away from consuming illicit liquor.On the enforcement side, the minister said as many as seven static check posts were being established in the Agency areas of Anakapalli and Alluri Sitrama Raju districts to prevent smuggling of ganja to other States.
The State government has also kept constant surveillance at National Highway toll plazas. With the help of Advanced Data Processing Research Institute (ADRIN), 973 villages in 10 mandals near the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) have been identified where ganja was being cultivated, Vanitha said.
Further, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has identified four districts where Nasha Mukth Bharat Campaign has been initiated. The State government has also been conducting meetings with Odisha to address the issue, she added.