SABMiller India today launched ‘Beerwise’ campaign, a month long responsible drinking initiative in Chandigarh, flagged off by Mr Jasbir Singh Cheema, DSP- Traffic Police, Chandigarh. Also present at the occasion was Mr Hari Singh, five times National Rally Champion and Mr V.K. Khanna, President in Chief, CCHWC. The campaign is aimed at creating awareness amongst the general public about responsible drinking behaviour. 

The month long campaign, a part of SABMiller’s ongoing global initiatives in this area has been designed in partnership with 94.3 Fm, the popular radio channel and will reach out to the masses, through various high visibility on ground and on air interactive activities. 

The highlight of the drive is a mobile Canter that would move to high visibility locations within the city and Beerwise- Mascot of the Responsible Drinking campaign would engage the public to gauge and enhance their awareness about alcohol abuse. The participants would be given caps/ T-shirts with ‘Beerwise’ messages printed on them like ‘know your limits’, ‘don’t drink and drive’. Hoarding with the BeerWise message has been placed in the heart of the city and Street plays would take place every weekend for the general public, conveying Responsible drinking message in an interesting and effective manner. 

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Jasbir Singh Cheema, DSP – Traffic Police, Chandigarh said, “We applaude SABMiller India for this initiative and for being a responsible corporate. We would like to invite more participation from industry players towards such noble causes. The Traffic Police at Chandigrah is happy to be a part of a unique campaign designed to educate people about responsible drinking and not mixing drinking and driving”. “We need to spread the awareness about the adverse effects of excessive drinking across schools and collages to educate the youth and help save young lives.” added Mr. Cheema. 

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Sundeep Kumar, Director Corporate Affairs and Communications, SABMiller India said, “While there may not be a simple solution to the issue of irresponsible alcohol behaviour, there are measures that can make a difference. The most important one is identifying the root causes of such behaviour and encourage inclusive and multi-stakeholder participation in finding possible and practical solutions to raise awareness about irresponsible drinking behaviour.” 

"In India, the company has plans to roll out awareness drives and this Responsible drinking campaign in Chandigarh is one such initiative for reaching out to the general audiences. We also plan to launch more such campaigns in other parts of the country." added Mr. Kumar

Mr Hari Singh, five times National Rally Champion said at the occasion, “It is heartening to see a beverage alcohol company like SABMiller India willing to partner with the government, and share responsibility towards making the citizens aware about responsible consumption of alcohol. I wish Beerwise campaign success in Chandigarh city”. 

At SABMller, promoting responsible drinking is one of the group’s top sustainable development priorities. The company cares about educating people about responsible alcohol consumption, engages stakeholders and works collectively with them to address irresponsible alcohol consumption. 

The company promotes responsible consumption through awareness programs, partnerships with community stakeholders, and governments to reinforce purchase and drinking age limits. Additionally, the company has launched the website-TalkingAlcohol.com which is a comprehensive guide to alcohol – from beer manufacturing to alcohol’s impact on the body. SABMiller’s intervention programmes encourage people not to drive under the influence of alcohol.