Bengaluru, June 8 (). Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Monday directed senior police officers to issue notices to all pubs, bars, clubs, lounges, restaurants and other liquor serving establishments, asking them to strictly prohibit entry of minors and serving liquor to them.
The directive comes amid growing concerns over drinking and drug abuse among teenagers and youth in Bengaluru.
The Home Minister clarified that Karnataka will adopt a zero tolerance approach towards establishments that enable or encourage minors to consume alcohol.
Priyank Kharge said that children and youth have to be protected from abuse of alcohol and drugs. Business establishments cannot put profit above the safety and future of our youth. The rules are simple: no entry without ID. Strict action will be taken against any establishment that helps minors consume alcohol.
He appealed to parents, teachers, citizens and establishment owners to cooperate with the police.
An official statement issued from his office cited recent research conducted on 4,093 students of pre-university courses, undergraduate colleges and higher secondary classes in four educational institutions in Bengaluru. The study found that one in three teenagers in the city are at risk of health problems due to alcohol or tobacco use.
The study, conducted by researchers from St. John’s Medical College, Bengaluru, Christ University, Bengaluru, and Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, revealed that 33 percent of the youth surveyed consumed alcohol, while about 18 percent were addicted to tobacco. These figures are significantly higher than the national level tobacco consumption rate of 8.7 per cent and alcohol consumption rate of 7.9 per cent, and higher than the tobacco consumption rate of 4.7 per cent and alcohol consumption rate of 8.5 per cent reported in Karnataka.
It also reported that the average age at which adolescents in Bengaluru started consuming alcohol was 17 years, with some of them reporting exposure as early as age 8.
In view of these findings, the Home Minister directed the police to treat underage drinking not merely as a license violation, but as a concern for youth safety and public health.
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