250 students participate in prog to raise awareness about ill effects drug addiction in Srinagar

Srinagar: About 250 students from different schools and colleges on Monday participated in a programme to raise awareness about ill effects of drug addiction and to promote healthy living though sports, particularly Martial Arts, in the summer capital, Srinagar.
The awareness prorgamme was organized by Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Unified Martial Arts (JKAUMA) on the occasion of International Sports Day and World Health Day under its initiative ‘Drugs out, Sports In’, at the auditorium of Directorate of Information and Public Relations in Srinagar on Monday.
Appreciating JKAUMA for organizing the awareness programme, Director of the Health Services Kashmir Dr Kunzes Dolma, who was the chief guest of the event, highlighted the role of sports, particularly martial arts, in positively channelizing the energy of the youth. “I am very happy to see that private organization, without any assistance, is coming out to fight menace of drugs and promote healthy living though sports in the state. This is the need of the hour as sports could be used to fill the vacuum which forces drug addicts to once again take up drugs after the completion of their counseling,” she said, adding that her department will provide every possible support to JKAUMA in their fight against substance abuse in the state.
Dr Dolma said that such awareness programme should not be confined to Kashmir valley, but should be held in other two regions – Jammu and Ladakh – as well.
Joint Director Directorate of School Education (central) Abid Hussain, Canadian coach and First Dan Black Belt in traditional martial arts Cody Valdas were guest of Honours of the event, in which students from different schools, including Hatric Public School, Linton Hall Public School, Shah-e-Hamdan High School, Tibatian Public School and Aroon Public School, participated.
Mr Valdas struck a chord with the audiences with his snake style martial arts demonstration. Meanwhile the students of JKAUMA from across the valley performed demonstrations of different martial art forms.
Besides the demonstrations, speeches were given by the students from Public School, Linton Hall Public School and Tibetan Public School, highlighting the important of sports, particularly martial arts, in achieving a health body and sound mind.
JKAUMA has launched ‘Drugs Out, Sports In’ initiative to fight drug addiction in the state by promoting healthy living through Martial arts. In this endeavor, JKAUMA has been organizing seminars in different schools and colleges to spread awareness among students about the ill effects of drug addiction and how to resist and overcome this menace.
JKAUMA General Secretary Rameez Khan said one of the major problems in drug de-addiction is a relapse because the victims are unable to locate any constructive platform which can engage them positively. “JKAUMA intends to fill that vacuum by bringing in martial arts, which not only focuses on physical development but strengthening the mental facilities of a person,” he said, adding the awareness programme which the academy has been organizing is in the run up to raising awareness about the important of sports.