ISSUP Member gets Life Time Achievement award 2023

Dharmasthala honors Dr.Thomas Scaria with a “Life Time Achievement Award”

Mangalore: Dr.Thomas Scaria, founder and Director of Ecolink Institute of Well-being received a Life Time Achievement Award from Dharmasthala for his meritorious services in three decades of anti-drugs campaigns.

The Honorable Governor of Karnataka, Thawar Chand Gehlot handed over the award in a glittering ceremony at Amrithavarshini hall in Dharmasthala on 15 February. The award was instituted by the Shree Khetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) and Jana Jagruthi Vedhige (JJV) to recognize individuals who excel in the prevention and management of substance abuse.

Thomas Scaria, a social worker and senior journalist received this award for his three decades of the effective campaign against drugs and alcoholism and for training hundreds of addiction professionals globally. The award includes a citation, memento and a cash award of Rs. 25,000.

Thomas Scaria started his mission on drug prevention in 1991 by initiating a student movement against addiction called Link Anti Addiction Action Group and later co-founding the Link Rehabilitation Center, where he served as its Director for 20 years. He joined Colombo Plan in 2010 and has coordinated several projects in addiction management and capacity building in more than 25 countries for almost 10 years before returning to India.

Currently, he is engaged in training addiction professionals from nearly 20 countries as the approved training provider of the Colombo Plan and a member of the ISSUP.

The awarding ceremony was attended by more than 5,000 people, mostly recovering people from Dharmasthala’s community-based deaddiction camps and their family members from all over the state.