New Delhi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that achieving the goal of a developed India requires the country's young people to remain mentally and physically fit, adding that they must stay away from all forms of substance abuse.
Launching the 'Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan', aimed at eliminating substance abuse among young people, Modi said the campaign was not only for the youth but also for their families, society and the nation.
The prime minister launched the campaign virtually in the presence of a large number of young participants, many of whom described themselves as representatives of Generation Z (Gen Z). The event came days after large-scale student protests demanding reforms to India's public examination system took place in New Delhi and other parts of the country.
Speaking at the launch of 'Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan', a 100-week campaign against substance abuse. I urge every citizen, especially our youth, to join this movement. https://t.co/ucvrcAyK4C
The campaign aims to inspire young people to stay away from substance abuse and encourage them to become ambassadors of positive social change within their communities.
The launch marked the beginning of a 100-week nationwide 'Jan Bhagidari' campaign, under which activities will be organised every Sunday across the country to promote awareness and encourage public participation in building a drug-free society.
The activities will include sports events, walkathons, meditation sessions, cultural programmes, awareness campaigns, nukkad nataks, discussion forums, art competitions and community engagement programmes.
The Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan was launched in 2020 in line with the prime minister’s vision of creating a Nasha Mukt Bharat, Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Mansukh Mandaviya, said at the launch.
Modi urges India's youth to fight against drugs
Inaugurating the campaign, Narendra Modi on Sunday asked the country's youth to take a pledge against substance abuse, saying drugs can give them a “high” for some time, but would make their entire career and personal life “low”.
Modi said the country's youth must be mentally and physically fit, for which it is necessary for them to stay away from all kinds of substance abuse.
He also said that enemy countries use the supply of drugs as part of their terror plans because they know that “youth are the future of our country”.
“Drugs can give you a high for some time, but it makes your entire career and personal life low,” he said.
Questioning the taboo around drug addicts, Modi said those who come out of drug addiction are fighters and should be honoured by society.
“Society should respect them, embrace them and give them a second chance,” he said.
The ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva’ campaign is a resolve for the individual, family, society and, most importantly, the nation, and the name of the initiative itself reflected its objective, the prime minister said.
“When the country has set the goal of building a developed India, it is essential that the youth stay away from harmful addictions to remain physically and mentally healthy and full of self-confidence,” Modi said.
“This is the objective of this campaign,” he added, urging everyone to take a pledge to ensure that young people understand the dangers of drug addiction and remain aware and vigilant in every possible way.
“The coming 100 Sundays will mark 100 strong steps towards a drug-free India,” he added.
The prime minister also said that addiction not only harms the body, but also takes away a mother's smile, shatters a father's dreams, weakens a sister's hope, and takes away the respect of a younger brother.
“Family members live with this pain every day, watching their children gradually lose themselves before their eyes,” he said.
Modi also said the government stands firmly with the youth in this campaign against drugs.
“Strict action is being taken against drug traffickers across the country. The arrests have gone up several times as compared to before, and drugs worth thousands of crores of rupees have been seized. This shows how strongly our government is acting against drugs,” the prime minister said.
He also urged families not to hide their children’s addiction out of concern for social reputation, and instead communicate openly with them and seek expert and medical help to help them overcome substance abuse.
The 'Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan' aims to inspire youth to stay away from substance abuse and encourages them to become ambassadors of positive social change in their communities.