Agartala: Jan 04: The state government has launched a novel initiative to raise awareness among students about road safety and food safety. Minister Sushanta Chowdhury made this announcement at a press conference on Saturday, explaining that the government organizes various programs on consumer protection and road safety every year. This year, however, the approach has been expanded to engage students directly through workshops and awareness programs at colleges across the state.
In response to requests from college professors, workshops on consumer protection have been scheduled, providing students with valuable knowledge on the subject. On the road safety front, the government has decided to organize localized programs in colleges rather than a single central event. This decision stems from the alarming statistic that 700 to 750 accidents occur annually in the state, with around 200 to 250 fatalities. To address this, state-of-the-art safety equipment and inter-sectoral vehicles have been provided to the traffic police, which has contributed to a 13% reduction in road fatalities over the past year.
Starting from January 11, the food and transport departments will partner with the traffic police and the higher education department to host awareness programs. These will include quiz competitions for students, with the first event scheduled for Udaypur Rajarshi Hall on January 11 for the Sipahijala, Gomati, and South districts. Additional quiz competitions will take place in other districts through January, culminating in a central competition in Agartala on February 8.
The quiz will focus on road safety, consumer law, and addiction prevention, and will be accompanied by rallies. Winners will be awarded prizes, including laptops, mobile phones, smart TVs, and helmets. The government also plans to extend these programs to schools in the future to further strengthen awareness.
