Thiruvananthapuram: Three religious leaders in the state have opposed the government move to hand over ‘Vimukthi,’ the de-addiction programme, to the excise rather than the social justice department. Latin Catholic Archbishop M. Soosapakiam, Syro-Malankara Church Mavelikkara diocese bishop Joshua Mar Ignatious and Palayam Juma Masjid Imam E.P. Suhaib Moulavi, at a joint press conference held here on Wednesday, also urged cricketer Sachin Tendulkar not to become brand ambassador of the programme that the government was planning to launch soon. The decision to hand it over to the enforcement agency was dubious, they alleged.
As per the government of India (allocation of business) rules 1961, the health and social justice departments have to be nodal agencies for the de-addiction programmes in states. However, the state government plan was to bring the programme under the excise department. The Subodham programme launched by the previous UDF government was also under the excise department. The LDF government was committing the same mistake as the excise department was an enforcement agency and not an implementing agency, the leaders said.
The decision was like handing over the welfare of hens to foxes, they alleged. As per the order relating to the setting up of Vimukthi mission, the excise minister will be the chairman, taxes additional chief secretary the vice- chairman, excise commissioner the convener and joint excise commissioner and deputy excise commissioner members. This was dubious, they claimed.
