Police join hands with private sector in fight against narcotics
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to address substance abuse among young professionals, the Prevention of Drug Abuse (PODA), a joint initiative of the state police and the private sector, is being rolled out, said state police chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar. The initiative focuses on preventing drug abuse at work places through cooperation between police and private institutions. Under PODA, private sector employees will be required to sign a mandatory declaration at the time of joining, stating that they will stay away from drug use. Employers will also seek consent for periodic drug testing during working hours. In cases where drug use is detected, action including termination of service may be taken. Police have discussed the implementation of PODA with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, G-Tech, FICCI, CII, Young Indians, BNI and KMA. These organisations have agreed in principle to support the initiative, the DGP said. Young Indians, the CII forum of entrepreneurs below 40 years of age, has announced that PODA will be implemented in its member companies from January 2026. In the first phase, 21 companies employing around 1,100 young professionals will be covered under the programme. As part of the D-Hunt special drive this year, police have registered 30,991 cases related to narcotics. Among them, 349 cases involved commercial quantities, 957 involved intermediate quantities and 7,718 involved small quantities of drugs. A survey conducted by the police has found that drug use is highest among financially stable youth aged between 25 and 35, most of whom are employed in the private sector. Drug transactions and consumption are usually confined to small friendship circles which makes detection difficult. Studies also show that while the average age of entry into government service through the PSC is around 33, nearly 98 per cent of youth below 30 are employed in the private sector, where early employment leads to early access to disposable income. The initiative is expected to inspire IT firms and other industries to adopt similar measures. With government approval, the programme will also be extended to government institutions, Ravada added.
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