Drug-free Andhra: Jagan for making colleges, universities ganja-free by October

Amaravati: Declaring a war on drugs, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has set October target to make all colleges and universities ganja free. "There should be no drug abuse in Colleges and Universities ", said Jagan.

He was chairing a review meeting on resource mobilization. He directed the officials to put up posters of ACB and SEB with toll-free complaint numbers at all government offices, schools, and colleges by October 1. Jagan asked for monitoring and taking action against the cultivation of Ganja in the state. He asked officials to provide alternative livelihood to ganja cultivators.

Over 2500 acres of other crops have been cultivated and they would be purchased through GCC. All measures have been taken to cultivate horticulture crops on 1,600 acres of land. "Provide them with the necessary seeds and other support for the cultivation of alternative crops. Conduct regular raids to keep a check on ganja cultivation. Give RoFR certificates to those who are cultivating different crops and they will be provided aid through Rythu Bharosa," the CM, said.

ACB toll-free number:

The Chief Minister said that ACB toll-free number 14400 should be displayed in all government offices. These boards should be on display from Village Secretariat to Collector's Office, from the police station to SP Office and at PDS shops as well, he said. Sub-registrar offices should be revamped. Taking the district as a unit, the Collectors should ensure that mining operations are carried out after acquiring the necessary permissions and amicably settle if there are any disputes so that there is no loss of revenue, he said.

Liquor sales drops

Liquor sales in the state have recorded a decline. Nearly 278.5 lakh cases have been sold in 2021-22 as compared to 384.31 lakh cases in 2018-19. In 2018-19, beer sales were 277.10 lakh, while in 2021-22 they decreased to 82.6 lakh. Even though the sales were less, the revenue has considerably increased. In 2018-19, the revenue from the sale of liquor was Rs.20,128 crore, while in 2021-22, it was Rs. 25,023 crore.

The liquor sales have been well controlled after CM Jagan ordered for removing of belt shops and increasing the liquor prices. In the last six months, 20,127 cases were registered, 16,027 were arrested and 1407 vehicles were seized in cases of illicit liquor.

Red Sanders:

Forest department officials have prepared a plan for the sale of 2,640 metric tons of red sanders. The CM ordered a continuous check on the process and also instructed them to get a third-party member to check the grading of red sanders.