Police step up efforts to dissuade youth from drug abuse in Sri Sathya Sai district

Superintendent of Police (SP) V. Ratna on Wednesday said that the police have stepped up efforts to dissuade youth and students from the menace of drugs, issuing a warning that drug abuse would destroy their health, shatter families, and spoil careers. The SP launched an awareness campaign on drug abuse on the joint campus of the Government Aided Junior and Degree Colleges at Gorantla, as part of the “Nasha Mukth Bharat Abhiyan”.

Addressing a gathering of students, the SP spoke about the health hazards of drug use and warned that even possession or transport of narcotics would invite severe punishment under the law. Students were given an orientation on the EAGLE Clubs, formed in educational institutions to spread awareness on drugs, ragging, and cybercrime. The SP also briefed them about the services at their disposal through the dedicated toll-free helpline 1972.

Ms. Ratna appealed to the students to refrain from drug addiction and spread the message of “Drugs Vaddu Bro”. “Students should act as peer leaders to usher in a society, free of drugs,” the SP said. On this occasion, the students were administered the Nasha Mukth Bharat Abhiyan pledge.

The SP said that a series of such campaigns would be undertaken all over the Sri Sathya Sai district, covering Hindupur, Puttaparthi, and Dharmavaram sub-divisions.