THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government will introduce a cess of Re 1 for each bottle of liquor sold in the state in the budget to fund the excise department’s anti-narcotic activities. Data revealed an average monthly sale of 4.9 crore liquor bottles in the state, meaning around Rs 5 crore can be collected as cess a month. The money will go into extending the activities of de-addiction centres and introduction of rehabilitation centres by excise department, sources told TNIE.
The additional income will be a shot in the arm for the department, which is going to roll out a comprehensive drug policy to address drug abuse. It will rest on four pillars: enforcement, awareness, de-addiction and rehabilitation. It’s for the first time that rehabilitation is being incorporated into the anti-drug policy.
Excise Minister M Liju told TNIE that rehabilitation centres will be set up for the first time in the state, while more de-addiction centres will be introduced.
Apart from the government funds, Corporate Social Responsibility Funds (CSR) will also be used for strengthening the rehab and de-addiction efforts of the department, the minister added.
The minister said discussions on rehabilitation segment are ongoing and finer details will be shared soon. “The individuals in the rehab centre will be given customized training. The needs of the individuals will be different and the approach meted out to them will change as per their requirements. If a youngster is found to be hooked to cricket, he will be given an option to get enrolled in an academy.
Some others might be having artistic aptitude and for them the approach will be different. Some others might want to do social service in order to get integrated into the society and they will be given the option to do so,” the minister added.
Meanwhile, other excise sources said the initial plan is to set up at least one rehab centre in each excise zones. The state has got three excise zones- North, South and Central. Those who completed de-addiction treatment will be admitted to the rehab centres where they will be taught skills that can help them earn a job, find a vocation or help them get reintegrated into society.
