Maharashtra government announces Rs 20-crore aid for flood-hit Kerala

Agencies

August 18, 2018

Aug 18: The Maharashtra government announced today an immediate financial assistance of Rs 20 crore for the flood-ravaged Kerala.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, through a post on Twitter, said his government is releasing Rs 20 crore as an immediate assistance for Kerala's flood-affected people.

He said the state government is in constant touch with its Kerala counterpart for its requirements and necessary support since yesterday in the wake of devastating floods which have caused large-scale damage in the southern state.

Fadnavis appealed to citizens and organisations to come forward and contribute in all possible ways to help the people of Kerala.

He said the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI-CREDAI) is contributing food packets worth Rs 1.5 crore, while the Rajasthani Welfare Association and the Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO) are donating Rs 51 lakh each for the flood-hit population.

Around 11 tonne of dry food is being arranged for the flood-affected people of Kerala, of which 6 tonne would be dispatched by this evening, the chief minister said.

The government's announcement came after the Opposition NCP and the Congress urged Fadnavis to act as a "big brother" and perform "Raj dharma" by financially helping Kerala, coping with a massive natural disaster triggered by heavy rains and landslides.

"Whenever any part of the country has been in danger, Maharashtra has been at the forefront of lending a helping hand. Today, millions of people of Kerala are at risk of losing their lives.

"In their time of need, it is imperative that Maharashtra plays the role of a big brother and goes all out to help the state government in relief operations," NCP leader Dhananjay Munde said while speaking to reporters today.

The Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council urged the Centre to declare Kerala flood a national disaster, asserting that millions of lives are in danger due to paucity of food, drinking water and shelter.

Munde said the Centre's emergency aid of Rs 500 crore for Kerala was not sufficient.

State Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said over 320 people have lost their lives in Kerala until now and added Maharashtra should lend a helping hand to the southern state in these difficult times.

"This is the culture of Maharashtra. Even during Uttarakhand floods (in June 2013), Maharashtra had immediately declared financial assistance to the ravaged state," he tweeted.

Maharashtra Minister Ravindra Chavan and BJP corporators from adjoining Kalyan Dombivli township have donated their one month's salary for relief efforts in Kerala.

"Kerala is struggling with flood and fearful unhealthy conditions. They are awaiting our help. Myself and BJP (Kalyan -Dombivli municipal corporation) KDMC corporators donating our salary, many Dombivlikars contributing to Seva Bharati Keralam for #KeralaFloods #Donate4Kerala. Pls join the cause," Chavan tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Kerala Governor P Sathasivam, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister K J Alphons, today conducted an aerial survey of some of the areas affected by flood.

The southern state is facing its worst flood in 100 years with 80 dams opened and all rivers in spate.

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Average age of school children picking up drugs, smoking habit in 10 Indian cities around 13 years!

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'.

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