Latest news with #Excise
Hans India
2 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
CM launches year-long campaign against drugs
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday launched a year-long State-wide campaign against drugs and intoxicants and asserted that awareness is the only solution to prevent tobacco-related deaths in the country. Majhi launched the campaign at the State-level programme held on the occasion of 'World No Tobacco Day'. 'About 1.4 million people lose their lives in India every year due to tobacco use. Among the deaths reported in the country every year due to various causes, about 10 per cent are due to tobacco use alone,' he said. Stating that it was time for the public, especially the youth, to take this issue seriously, Majhi appealed to all to join the awareness campaign against intoxicants and drugs. 'I call upon all to take a resolution to adopt a life free from addiction. Say no to tobacco, say yes to life,' he said. The awareness campaign will continue for about a year across the State from May 31 to June 26 in the first phase, June 26 to August 15 in the second phase, October 2 (third phase) and December 25 to January 15, 2026 in the fourth phase. The Chief Minister said the door-to-door awareness campaign will create awareness about the ill effects and health hazards of tobacco use. He said people should be made aware that 100 per cent of oral cavity cancer or lung cancer is caused by tobacco and cigarette use. 'If the only truth in the world is death, then why should it be painful? Therefore, everyone should adopt a healthy lifestyle,' he said, adding that advertisements of tobacco, cigarettes and drugs are also affecting the youth. He advised people to be careful about these deceptive advertisements. The Chief Minister also stressed on enforcement to check the prevalence of drug abuse and adulterated liquor. He said joint efforts should be made by Excise, Home Department and Narcotics Control Bureau to take strict action against the culprits. 'Efforts are being made to completely stop the sale of tobacco and drugs by empowering the STF. A new excise policy will be formulated soon to crack down on all types of intoxicants,' the Chief Minister said. At the event, Majhi launched the logo, theme song and handbook of the State-wide awareness campaign. Excise Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said the government has, for the first time, launched a comprehensive awareness programme against the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs. 'We will spread this message to the last person of the society. Apart from excise, the participation of other departments and civil society is also needed. The punishment for the offenders under the new Excise Act will be stricter,' he said. Odisha's brand ambassador of Nishamukti Abhiyan and sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik said it is the responsibility and duty of all to take this campaign to every home. The district collectors and excise officers of all the districts attended the programme virtually. In another event organised by the Health and Family Welfare department, stress was laid on interdepartmental coordination and public engagement. On this occasion, a signature campaign was launched to involve citizens in pledging their support to a tobacco-free Odisha. The department also released newly developed IEC (information-education campaign) materials to educate the public, particularly youth and vulnerable communities, on the risks associated with tobacco use. The event also witnessed the digital launch of the ToFEI (Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions) web application, which will assist schools and colleges in self-assessing and reporting their compliance with national tobacco-free guidelines.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Call to curb drug abuse
Eluru: District collector K Vetriselvi highlighted the collective responsibility to combat drug use during a 5K walkathon organised under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. The event took place on Sunday, starting from Sir CRR Mahila College to the indoor stadium, and was attended by over 600 participants, including officials, public representatives, students, and sportsmen. A drug control pledge programme was also held, where collector Vetriselvi and MLA Chintamaneni Prabhakar signed a board advocating for a tobacco-free society. Vetriselvi noted that the central government is taking steps to eradicate drug use and trafficking. She urged the public to report drug-related information to the toll-free numbers 1972 and 14446. De-addiction centres are being established to support those affected. She expressed concern over youth addiction to substances like marijuana and called for awareness programs in schools and colleges to prevent drug abuse. In preparation for the International Day Against Drug Abuse on June 26, she proposed a campaign from June 1 to June 26 to educate the public about the dangers of drugs. She emphasised the need for strict measures against drug trafficking and stressed that public involvement is essential for creating a drug-free district. The collector presented medals to 5 men and 5 women who performed most brilliantly in the walkathon programme. Additional SP Nakka Suryachandra Rao, who participated in the programme, was presented with a medal by the Collector. Along with this, in the men's category, M Ch Raju, S Bhargav, D Narendra Babu, D Srinivasu, GSK Dhanaraju of the Excise Department were presented with medals. In the women's category, students of KPDT School G Bhavya Varshini, Ch Lavanya, M Jahnavi Priya of St Teresa's, and officials of the Women and Child Welfare Department Ch Suryacharkaveni, V Mallika were presented with medals by the Collector. Additional SP Nakka Suryachandra Rao, DRO V Visveswara Rao, SC Corporation ED M Mukkanti, Excise Superintendent Avulaiah, DSP D Shravan Kumar, Civil Supplies Corporation District Manager Shiva Ramamurthy, DSDO Srinivasa Rao, Assistant Director of the Welfare Department of Differently-abled Persons Ram Kumar, Municipal Commissioner A Bhanupratap, AR DSP Sekhar, DEO M Venkatalakshmamma, Excise Assistant Commissioner Panduranga Rao, DCPO Suryachakraveni, NCC Commandant Pradeep Yadav, Red Cross representatives Metara Ajay Babu, NCC students, students, and many local public representatives participated in the programme.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Machilipatnam decked up for Masula Beach Festival to be organised from June 5 to 8
The Krishna district officials are making all arrangements for the Masula Beach Festival, to be organised from June 5 to 8, at Manginapudi beach in Machilipatnam. Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra, who visited the beach, reviewed the arrangements being made for the festival. The Minister, along with District Collector D.K. Balaji, and officers of the Tourism, Revenue and other departments enquired about the facilities being provided for the tourists attending the beach festival. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ravindra said the historic town will be developed as a tourist hub. Many people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana States were expected to attend the festival, he said. Mr. Balaji said that beach volleyball, kabaddi and sports will be conducted as part of the Masula Beach Festival. Besides, cultural programmes, entertainment events, food stalls, and heli ride will also be arranged, he informed the Minister. Duties have been allotted to the officers of Medical and Health, DRDA, MEPMA, R&B, Fisheries, APSRTC, Social Welfare and other departments. Instructions have been given to deploy State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force teams and the fire service personnel at multiple locations. A team of officers visited Manginapudi beach and reviewed the arrangements for the festival on Sunday. The APSRTC will run buses from various places to Machilipatnam during the beach festival, the Collector said.
The Print
3 days ago
- Health
- The Print
Odisha CM launches year-long awareness campaign against drugs, intoxicants
'About 1.4 million people lose their lives in India every year due to tobacco use. Among the deaths reported in the country every year due to various causes, about 10 per cent are due to tobacco use alone,' he said. Majhi launched the campaign at the state-level programme held on the occasion of the 'World No Tobacco Day'. Bhubaneswar, May 31 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday launched a year-long state-wide campaign against drugs and intoxicants and asserted that awareness is the only solution to prevent tobacco-related deaths in the country. Stating that it was time for the public, especially the youth, to take this issue seriously, Majhi appealed to all to join the awareness campaign against intoxicants and drugs. 'I call upon all to take a resolution to adopt a life free from addiction. Say no to tobacco, say yes to life,' he said. The awareness campaign will continue for about a year across the state from May 31 to June 26 in the first phase, June 26 to August 15 in the second phase, October 2 (third phase) and December 25 to January 15, 2026 in the fourth phase. The chief minister said the door-to-door awareness campaign will create awareness about the ill effects and health hazards of tobacco use. He said people should be made aware that 100 per cent of oral cavity cancer or lung cancer is caused by tobacco and cigarette use. 'If the only truth in the world is death, then why should it be painful? Therefore, everyone should adopt a healthy lifestyle,' he said, adding that advertisements of tobacco, cigarettes and drugs are also affecting the youth. He advised people to be careful about these deceptive advertisements. The chief minister also stressed on enforcement to check the prevalence of drug abuse and adulterated liquor. He said joint efforts should be made by Excise, Home Department and Narcotics Control Bureau to take strict action against the culprits. 'Efforts are being made to completely stop the sale of tobacco and drugs by empowering the STF. A new excise policy will be formulated soon to crack down on all types of intoxicants,' the chief minister said. At the event, Majhi launched the logo, theme song and handbook of the state-wide awareness campaign. Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said the government has, for the first time, launched a comprehensive awareness programme against the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs. 'We will spread this message to the last person of the society. Apart from excise, the participation of other departments and civil society is also needed. The punishment for the offenders under the new Excise Act will be stricter,' he said. Odisha's brand ambassador of the Nishamukti Abhiyan and sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik said it is the responsibility and duty of all to take this campaign to every home. The district collectors and excise officers of all the districts attended the programme virtually. In another event organised by the Health and Family Welfare Department, stress was laid on interdepartmental coordination and public engagement. On this occasion, a signature campaign was launched to involve citizens in pledging their support to a tobacco-free Odisha. The department also released newly developed IEC (information-education campaign) materials to educate the public, particularly youth and vulnerable communities, on the risks associated with tobacco use. The event also witnessed the digital launch of the ToFEI (Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions) web application, which will assist schools and colleges in self-assessing and reporting their compliance with national tobacco-free guidelines. PTI AAM AAM ACD This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
New liquor pricing regime takes effect in U.T., Puducherry government aims to net additional annual revenue of ₹185 crore
A new liquor pricing regime that took effect in the Union Territory will see tipplers shell out substantially more for their preferred alcohol, beer and wine brands. The new rates came into force following the Lieutenant Governor's assent for the decision taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy in April to introduce steep hikes in excise duty, additional excise duty, special excise duty, and a doubling of licence fee to boost revenue. According to the hikes in excise duty and additional excise duty on IMFL, beer and wine notified by the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management (Excise), the excise duty on a 750 ml IMFL bottle will increase from ₹10 to ₹47, from ₹3 to ₹11 for 180 ml bottle, from ₹6 to ₹7 for 650 ml bottle of beer, and from ₹13 to ₹26 for a 750 ml bottle of wine. The Deputy Commissioner (Excise) said the duty increase was expected to generate an additional revenue of ₹185 crore per year for the government. According to the revised rates, the additional excise duty for ordinary IMFL brands (with a declared price below ₹600 per case) has been raised from ₹100 to ₹110 per proof litre and from ₹115 to ₹125 per proof litre for medium and premium brands (priced at ₹600 or above per case). Likewise, the duty on wine has been hiked from ₹25 to ₹30 per bulk litre, and from ₹10 to ₹12 per bulk litre for beer. Accordingly, the new rates for spirituous liquors, liquors whether Indian made, foreign manufactured or imported into the Union Territory, excluding beer, will range between ₹85 and ₹325 per proof litre, between ₹33 and ₹42 per bulk litre for beer and from ₹50 to ₹145 per bulk litre for wine. Officials reason that even after these hikes, the prices of popular spirits remain competitive in relation to adjacent markets. 'There is bound to be a calibration of a rate revision to balance the task of raising additional revenue for the government against maintaining the market edge', an official said. Meanwhile, it is also proposed to increase the licence fee for liquor factories, wholesale and retail sale of liquor, and the duty on export and import. However, unlike the excise duty hikes which were effected under the relevant sections of the Puducherry Excise Act, 1970, the licence fee revision needs to be passed through an amendment in Puducherry Excise (Amendment) Rules, 2025. Therefore, a draft notification has been published on the website of the Excise department and further consultations are likely before the revised rates get official sanction, the official added. These hikes in excise duty and licence fee can be seen as a corollary to the broader government decision to liberalise the liquor policy. The government had already sanctioned close to a 100 new resto bars and granted licences to new distillery units, and these were the moves that triggered the Opposition accusations of procedural irregularities, corruption and of placing profit over public good. However, from a revenue standpoint alone for a government seeking to shore up additional annual revenue in the range of about ₹350 crore, it should be hardly surprising that the government has turned to one of its most dependable cash cows. According to the Budget data for 2024-25, revenue proceeds from State Excise contributed to about 23% of the Union Territory's own annual revenue, third only to power sector (34.18%) and commercial tax (32.54%). The Budget Estimates for 2025-26 envisage raising revenue receipts from State Excise component to an estimated ₹1,800 crore, or 23.56% of estimated own revenue receipts of ₹7,641.40 crore. Already, since January 1, the Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuels have been raised by approximately 2.44% for petrol and 2.57% for diesel across the Union Territory. The government, meanwhile, has also proposed to substantially hike Guideline Land Register value, registration charges, including those of certain categories of vehicles, to generate more own revenue to the coffers.
