Kerala Police will offer horse riding training to members of the public through its mounted police unit in Thiruvananthapuram, as part of an effort to engage young people and keep them away from drugs, The Indian Express reported.
Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner Arul B. Krishna submitted the proposal, and the Home Department has approved it, according to The Indian Express and PTI.
How it will work
The programme comes under the anti-drug initiative Operation Toofan Care. It will start as a pilot project for relatives and acquaintances of police personnel, with two batches of 10 to 20 participants each, over 20 days of training. The public will be admitted after the pilot is evaluated.
The mounted unit has 18 horses, procured and trained by the Indian Army, which have so far been used only to train police personnel.
What next: what it will cost
Officials said a fee would be charged, set at an affordable level compared with commercial equestrian clubs. The amount has not yet been fixed, PTI reported.