Increasing violence and drug menace: Kerala CM blames films glorifying violence, lapses in parenting

News Network
March 3, 2025

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala assembly on Monday witnessed heated argument between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front over the increasing violence involving youths as well as the drug menace.

The chief minister blamed it on films that celebrate violence, competitiveness among youngsters and lapses in parenting as key reasons for the increasing violent tendency among the youngsters. He also stressed the need to carry out awareness campaigns and said that there would not be any compromise in enforcement.

Congress gave a notice for adjournment motion in the house in the wake of the back to back incidents of violence involving students, the latest being the death of a tenth standard student at Kozhikode the other day following an attack by five other students. Considering the gravity of the scenario, the government allowed a discussion on the matter.

The Chief Minister was agitated over Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who presented the notice for the motion, accusing the government of failing to curb the drug menace and also alleged of links of CPM's student outfits Students' Federation of India in brutal violence at campuses. Vijayan was also irked as Chennithala pin pointed the attack on him by repeatedly using 'Mr. chief minister'.

Vijayan said that the increasing criminal tendency among children was a global issue. "As the world becomes very competitive right from studies to jobs, the younger generations are becoming more restless. The competitiveness, which seems to be an outcome of globalization, was also causing enmity in young minds. With parents failing to spend adequate time with children, the children and getting addicted to digital devices," said Vijayan.

He also said that there were police reports that children were even getting attracted to goonda gangs after being influenced by films that celebrate violence. The sensor board needs to look into the matter. Web series and social media were also badly influencing children.

Listing out the number of drug peddling cases nabbed by the police and excise departments in the recent years, Vijayan said that there was no lapse in enforcement.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan extended the opposition's support to the government in fighting the menace.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 16,2025

IPL.jpg

The IPL 2026 auction has seen uncapped Indian stars laugh their way to the bank. While Cameron Green set a world record as he was roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 25.20 crore, making him the costliest overseas player ever in any franchise competition across the world, CSK roped in Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma for a record bid of Rs 14.20 crore each. Sri Lanka's Matheesha Pathirana was picked up for Rs 18 crore by KKR. 

However, top names like Liam Livingstone, Prithvi Shaw, and Sarfaraz Khan have gone unsold. The mini-auction for IPL 2026 is being held in Abu Dhabi, with three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders coming in with the biggest purse (Rs 64.30 crore). Chennai Super Kings entered the auction with the second-biggest purse (Rs 43.40 crore). The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League will be held between March 26 and May 31.

Here is the full list of sold and unsold players:

Jake Fraser-McGurk - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
David Miller - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Delhi Capitals - Rs 2 crore
Prithvi Shaw - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - Unsold
Devon Conway - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Cameron Green - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Kolkata Knight Riders - Rs 25.20 crore
Sarfaraz Khan - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - Unsold
Gus Atkinson - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Rachin Ravindra - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Liam Livingtone - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Wiaan Mulder - Base Price Rs 1 crore - Unsold
Wanindu Hasaranga - Base Price Rs 2 crore - LSG - Rs 2 crore
Venkatesh Iyer - Base Price Rs 2 crore - RCB - Rs 7 crore
Deepak Hooda - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - Unsold
KS Bharat - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - Unsold
Quinton De Kock - Base Price Rs 1 crore - Mumbai Indians - Rs 1 crore
Rahmanullah Gurbaz - Base Price Rs 1.50 crore - Unsold
Jonny Bairstow - Base Price Rs 1 crore - Unsold
Jamie Smith - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Ben Duckett - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Delhi Capitals - Rs 2 crore
Finn Allen - Base Price Rs 2 crore - KKR - Rs 2 crore
Matt Henry - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Akash Deep - Base Price Rs 1 crore - Unsold
Jacob Duffy - Base Price Rs 2 crore - RCB - Rs 2 crore
Shivam Mavi - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - Unsold
Gerald Coetze - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Matheesha Pathirana - Base Price Rs 2 crore - KKR - Rs 18 crore
Spencer Johnson - Base Price Rs 1.50 crore - Unsold
Anrich Nortje - Base Price Rs 2.00 crore - LSG Rs 2 crore
Fazalhaq Farooqui - Base Price Rs 1.00 crore - Unsold
Rahul Chahar - Base Price Rs 1.00 crore - Unsold
Ravi Bishnoi - Base Price Rs 2.00 crore - RR - Rs 7.20 crore
Maheesh Theekshana - Base Price Rs 2.00 crore - Unsold
Mujeeb Ur Rahman - Base Price Rs 2.00 crore - Unsold
Akeal Hosein - Base Price Rs 2.00 crore - CSK - Rs 2 crore
Atharva Taide - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Anmolprteet SIngh - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Abhinav Tejrana - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Abhinav Manohar - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Yash Dhull - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Aarya Desai - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Auqib Dar - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - DC - Rs 8.40 crore
Vijay Shankar - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Rajvardhan Hangargekar - Base Price Rs 40 lakh - Unsold
Mahipal Lomror - Base Price Rs 50 lakh - Unsold
Eden Apple Tom - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Prashant Veer - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - CSK Rs 14.20 crore
Shivang Kumar - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - SRH - Rs 30 lakh
Tanush Kotian - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Kamlesh Nagarkoti - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Sanvir Singh - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Rouchit Ahir - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Kartik Sharma - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - CSK Rs 14.20 crore
Mukul Choudhary - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - LSG Rs 2.60 crore
Tejasvi Singh - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - KKR - Rs 3 crore
Vansh Bedi - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Tushar Raheja - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Ashok Sharma - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - GT - Rs 90 lakh
Raj Limbani - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Kartik Tyagi - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - KKR - Rs 30 Lakh
Simarjeet Singh - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Aarya Desai - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Naman Tiwari - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - LSG - Rs 1 crore
Aakash Madhwal - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Sushant Mishra - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - RR - Rs 90 lakh
Wahidullah Zadran - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Shivam Shukla - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Yash Raj Punja - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - RR - Rs 30 Lakh
Prashant Solanki - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - KKR - Rs 30 Lakh
Vignesh Puthur - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - RR - Rs 30 lakh
Karn Sharma - Base Price Rs 50 lakh - Unsold
Kumar Kartikeya Singh - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Sediqullah Atal - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - Unsold
Pathum NIssanka - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - DC - Rs 4 Crore
Rahul Tripathi - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - KKR - Rs 75 lakh
Sean Abbott - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Michael Bracewell - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Ben Dwarshuis - Base Price Rs 1 crore - Unsold
Jason Holder - Base Price Rs 2 crore - GT Rs 7 crore
Dashun Shanaka - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - Unsold
Daryll Mitchell - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Matthew Short - Base Price Rs 1.50 crore - CSK - Rs 1.50 crore
Tom Banton - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Jordan Cox - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - Unsold
Josh Inglis - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Tim Seifert - Base Price Rs 1.50 crore - KKR - Rs 1.50 Crore
Kyle Jamieson - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Adam Milne - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Lungi Ngidi - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Mustafizur Rahman - Base Price Rs 2 crore - KKR - Rs 9.2 crore
Chetan Sakariya - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - Unsold
Kuldeep Sen - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - Unsold
Waqar Salamkheil - Base Price Rs 1 crore - Unsold
Danish Malewar - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - MI - Rs 30 lakh
Salman Nizar - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Akshat Raghuwanshi - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - LSG - Rs 2.2 crore 
Satvik Deswak - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - RCB - Rs 30 lakh
Aman Khan - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - CSK - Rs 40 lakh
Vicky Ostwal - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Mayank Rawat - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Mangesh Yadav - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - RCB - Rs 5.20 crore
Salil Arora - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - SRH - Rs 1.40 crore
Ravi Singh - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - RR - Rs 95 lakh
KM Asif - Base Price Rs 40 lakh - Unsold
Sakib Hussain - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - SRH - Rs 30 lakh 
Mohammad Izhar - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - MI - Rs 30 lakh 
Onkar Tarmale - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - SRH - Rs 30 Lakh
Murugan Ashwin - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Tejas Baroke - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
KC Cariappa - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Mohit Rathee - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Cooper Connolly - Base Price Rs 2 Crore - PBKS - Rs 3 crore
Dan Lawrence - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Taskin Ahmed - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - Unsold
Richard Gleeson - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - Unsold
Alzarri Joseph - Base Price Rs 2 crore - Unsold
Riley Meredith - Base Price Rs 1.50 crore - Unsold
Jhye Richardson - Base Price Rs 1.50 crore - Unsold
Dheeraj Kumar - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Tanay Thyagarajan - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Connor E. - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Irfan Umair - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Chintal Gandhi - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Amit Kumar - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - SRH - Rs 30 lakh 
Vishal Nishad - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold 
Nathan Smith - Base Price Rs 75 lakh - Unsold 
Daniel Lategan - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold 
Atharva Ankolekar - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - MI - Rs 30 Lakh
Karan Lal - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold 
Utkarsh Singh - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold 
Ayush Vartak - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Ayush Hinge - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - SRH - Rs 30 Lakh
Jikku Bright - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Izaz Sawariya - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold
Krains Fuletra - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - SRH - Rs 30 lakh
Sarthak Ranjan - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - KKR - Rs 30 lakh
Daksh Kamra - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - KKR - Rs 30 lakh
Manishankar Murasingh - Base Price Rs 30 lakh - Unsold

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 7,2025

SHRIMP.jpg

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 13,2025

New Delhi: School-going children are picking up drug and smoking habits and engaging in consumption of alcohol, with the average age of introduction to such harmful substances found to be around 13 years, suggesting a need for earlier interventions as early as primary school, a multi-city survey by AIIMS-Delhi said.

The findings also showed substance use increased in higher grades, with grade XI/XII students two times more likely to report use of substances when compared with grade VIII students. This emphasised the importance of continued prevention and intervention through middle and high school.

The study led by Dr Anju Dhawan of AIIMS's National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, published in the National Medical Journal of India this month, looks at adolescent substance use across diverse regions.

The survey included 5,920 students from classes 8, 9, 11 and 12 in urban government, private and rural schools across 10 cities -- Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Delhi, Dibrugarh, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jammu, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Ranchi. The data were collected between May 2018 and June 2019.

The average age of initiation for any substance was 12.9 (2.8) years. It was lowest for inhalants (11.3 years) followed by heroin (12.3 years) and opioid pharmaceuticals (without prescription; 12.5 years).

Overall, 15.1 per cent of participants reported lifetime use, 10.3 per cent reported past year use, and 7.2 per cent reported use in the past month of any substance, the study found.

The most common substances used in the past year, after tobacco (4 per cent) and alcohol (3.8 per cent), were opioids (2.8 per cent), followed by cannabis (2 per cent) and inhalants (1.9 per cent). Use of non-prescribed pharmaceutical opioids was most common among opioid users (90.2 per cent).

On being asked, 'Do you think this substance is easily available for a person of your age' separately for each substance category, nearly half the students (46.3 per cent) endorsed that tobacco products and more than one-third of the students (36.5 per cent) agreed that a person of their age can easily procure alcohol products.

Similarly, for Bhang (21.9 per cent), ganja/charas (16.1 per cent), inhalants (15.2 per cent), sedatives (13.7 per cent), opium and heroin (10 per cent each), the students endorsed that these can be easily procured.

About 95 per cent of the children, irrespective of their grade, agreed with the statement that 'drug use is harmful'.

The rates of substance use (any) among boys were significantly higher than those of girls for substance use (ever), use in the past year and use in the past 30 days. Compared to grade VIII students, grade IX students were more likely, and grade XI/XII students were twice as likely to have used any substance (ever).

The likelihood of past-year use of any substance was also higher for grade IX students and for grade XI/XII students as compared to grade VIII students.

About 40 per cent of students mentioned that they had a family member who used tobacco or alcohol each. The use of cannabis (any product) and opioid (any product) by a family member was reported by 8.2 per cent and 3.9 per cent of students, respectively, while the use of other substances, such as inhalants/sedatives by family was 2-3 per cent, the study found.

A relatively smaller percentage of students reported use of tobacco or alcohol among peers as compared to among family members, while a higher percentage reported inhalants, sedatives, cannabis or opioid use among peers.

Children using substances (past year) compared to non-users reported significantly higher any substance use by their family members and peers.

There were 25.7 per cent students who replied 'yes' to the question 'conflicts/fights often occur in your family'. Most students also replied affirmatively to 'family members are aware of how their time is being spent' and 'damily members are aware of with whom they spend their time'.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.