Non-tipplers in Kerala village to get cash reward

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 18: In a novel way to campaign against alcohol consumption,

Government has drawn up a plan to honour non-tipplers in a local

panchayat here by presenting them with a cash reward of Rs 1,000 each.

Selected residents of Chemmaruthi village, who have never tasted liquor in their life so far, will get a cash prize of Rs 1,000 each and a shawl as part of the Health Department's anti-liquor campaign. As many as 10 villagers, aged above 40 and have a clean personal background, would be chosen for the reward from among the applications received, health department sources said.

The decision is as part of the Health Department's anti-liquor campaign

The drive is being organised under the aegis of the Public Health Centre in Chemmaruthi near Varkala town. A senior health official said the aim of the programme is to create awareness in the society that alcoholism is a disease and it can be cured through proper treatment.

"We have already received more than 15 applications so far and expect more in the coming days. The department's field staff will make a thorough enquiry about the applicants and collect as much as details about them," Gopakumar, Health Inspector at the PHC, told PTI.

The winners would be selected after a thorough scrutiny, he said. "By honouring a group of people for not consuming liquor, we can give our youngsters a message that alcoholism is something bad and it should be avoided," he said. The awards would be distributed at a function, to be conducted at the health centre, later this month, he added.

PTI