Union Minister Virendra Kumar administers 'Pledge Against Drug Abuse'
Haridwar, June 26
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Virendra Kumar, on Friday administered the 'Pledge Against Drug Abuse' and the 'Ageing with Dignity Pledge' at an event here, reaffirming the government's commitment towards building a drug-free and inclusive society.
The Union Minister also led a Nasha Mukt Rally at an event marking the culmination of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Saptah, observed from June 17 to June 26.
The Saptah was organised to commemorate the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and culminated on Friday in a National Awareness Programme held at Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya (DSVV), Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
It witnessed the participation of more than 1.31 crore citizens through a series of awareness generation and community mobilisation activities, said an official statement.
Virendra Kumar encouraged the 4,000 rally participants whose energy demonstrated widespread public support for the national movement against substance abuse, said the statement.
The programme witnessed enthusiastic participation from thousands of people, both online and offline, including students, youths, volunteers from various spiritual organisations, representatives of the Government of Uttarakhand, and other local stakeholders, said the statement.
Representatives from States and Union Territories, line Ministries and Departments, Grant-in-Aid institutions, Addiction Treatment Facilities, and other stakeholders from across the country also joined the programme, reiterating their collective commitment towards building a Nasha Mukt Bharat, it said.
A key highlight of the programme was the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment and the All-World Gayatri Pariwar under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) and the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY).
The MoUs aim to strengthen collaboration in the areas of awareness generation, community mobilisation, drug demand reduction, and the promotion of the welfare of senior citizens through the message of Ageing with Dignity across the country, said the statement.
The programme also recognised the outstanding contributions of Nasha Mukti Mitras for their exemplary efforts in promoting awareness and mobilising communities against substance abuse.
Winners of various competitions organised by State Governments under NMBA, along with outstanding-performing stakeholders, were felicitated for their significant contributions towards promoting a drug-free society, said the statement.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good to see 1.31 crore citizens participated across India. That’s no small feat. But the real battle is in villages and border areas—drug abuse is rampant there. More ground-level action needed.
Nasha Mukt Bharat is a great slogan, but I hope the MoUs with spiritual organisations actually lead to sustained awareness—not just photo ops. Youth need career opportunities and counselling, not just pledges.
International Day against Drug Abuse—well observed. But where is the focus on Punjab and the Northeast? Drugs are destroying lives there. This rally in Haridwar is symbolic; we need targeted action in hotspot states.
The fact that 4,000 people turned up in person is inspiring. Dev Sanskriti University is a great venue for this—its emphasis on holistic development aligns with the cause. Kudos to the Nasha Mukti Mitras being recognised!
Pledges are fine, but the real issue is easy availability of drugs in urban areas. Also, elderly care through 'Ageing with Dignity' pledge—at least they're combining social issues. Hope implementation matches the rhetoric.
Great to see spiritual organisations like Gayatri Pariwar involved—they have grassroots reach. But we
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