Ansari emerges front-runner in Prez poll stakes

May 4, 2012

New Delhi, May 4: The consultation process over candidates for the presidential election made some headway on Thursday.

The Congress is understood to have informed its UPA partners that Vice-President Hamid Ansari was its preferred choice for the coveted post, followed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Senior party sources indicated that Congress would support the candidature of Ansari and added: “We feel we will not encounter any problem (with allies) with this choice. However, if there is any, then we are sure, there will be no such issues regarding Mukherjee.”

On a day when UPA’s unpredictable friend, Mamata Banerjee took the centre stage, meeting Sonia Gandhi and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh, the race to find the next incumbent of the Rashtrapati Bhavan got an unexpected twist, with a Congress spokesperson indicating that Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was not in the race.

Responding to questions from media, spokesperson Renuka Chowdhry quipped: “It will never be easy to leave Pranab da. He is such a valued person for us in the party. His contribution to the party cannot be even measured. For him, it will not seem to be fair...but he has such an active political mind. He is too involved and knows politics so well.”

The Congress, however, scrambled to clarify within hours. Party spokesman Rashid Alvi asserted: “The consultation process is on. No names have been finalised. Renuka Chowhury’s remarks show the importance of Pranabda. It does not mean he is ruled out for anything. It shows his importance for the party, Parliament and the country.”

Mamata seemed to have seized the initiative from Chaudhury’s statement as she said: “I think their party has already announced today that he is not (the candidate)," when asked by journalists whether Mukherjee was acceptable as a presidential candidate. She added: “I cannot say anything. Congress party has already announced their opinion... He belongs to the Congress party. Congress party will decide.”

The remarks of Chaudhury and Mamata created an impression during the day that incumbent vice president Hamid Ansari was ahead in the presidential poll race. Many wondered if Congress itself was not interested in fielding one of its seniormost leaders. However, some senior Congress leaders dismissed the suggestion.

Congress sources asserted that Mukherjee, UPA trouble shooter, was very much in the race and pointed out that Janata Dal (United) was likely to support the finance minister rather than a candidate picked up by the BJP-led NDA. “More allies from NDA supporting our candidate cannot be ruled out”, they added.

Sonia Gandhi, who held a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Mukherjee present, told reporters that there was time before a candidate was selected. Queried over "confusion" on names for presidential nominees, she said: “there is no confusion. Be patient, still there is time.”

Mamata, who met Gandhi for the first time after her election as CM a year ago, declined to speak to media after the meeting. It was, however, learnt that she pledged her support to the UPA candidate but felt that it would be better if the candidate was elected unanimously with support from across the political spectrum.

The West Bengal CM, who also met Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, told reporters: “I would prefer a consensus. If this does not evolve, then of course there will be a contest. All options are open”. Asked if she would prefer Mukherjee, she quipped: “Congress has to take a decision first. He is after all a Congress leader. I can't interfere in any other party's internal affairs”. Mulayam said he was for a political person as president.

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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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