Bhubaneswar: Odisha Governor Haribabu Kambhampati Sunday urged youths to choose playgrounds over drugs, classrooms over addiction and service over self-destruction and become pillars of nation-building by helping create a drug-free society.
Addressing a state-level function at the launch of the ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan’, the governor said the 100-week campaign marked a national resolve to empower youth and eliminate the menace of drugs.
The campaign was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kambhampati described the initiative as a step towards building a healthy, confident and drug-free India, saying the country’s greatest strength lies in its youth.
A healthy, disciplined and determined younger generation would play a key role in achieving the goal of a developed India by 2047, he said.
The governor cautioned that drug addiction silently destroys dreams, weakens judgment and deprives young people of opportunities.
He said addiction not only harms individuals but also inflicts emotional and financial distress on families while depriving society and the nation of productive citizens.
Rejecting drugs, he added, is not merely a personal choice but a commitment to one’s family, teachers, friends and the nation.
Encouraging youth to pursue healthy and purposeful lives, Kambhampati urged them to embrace sports, fitness, yoga, culture, innovation and volunteerism.
He stressed that creating a drug-free society requires the collective efforts of parents, teachers, educational institutions, communities and young people themselves, who must become ambassadors of the movement.
Urging every participant to become a torchbearer of the campaign, the governor called upon the youth to take a pledge to remain free from drugs and spread the message of awareness, compassion and responsibility, transforming the campaign into a true people’s movement.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the campaign was not a one-day programme but a mass movement that would continue for 100 weeks.
Majhi said the youth were the real architects of building a developed India by 2047 and asserted that his government had adopted a “zero tolerance” policy towards drug trade and narcotics syndicates.
Giving details of action taken against narcotics activities, the chief minister said Odisha Police had destroyed 63,720 acres of illegal hemp cultivation worth about Rs 1,911 crore between July 2024 and June 2026.
During the period, 2,576 cases were registered, 3,699 accused arrested and 432 tonnes of ganja worth Rs 2,106 crore seized, he said.
Majhi said the government was also strengthening rehabilitation centres for counselling and recovery of drug addicts, besides taking legal action against those involved in the illegal trade.
Expressing concern over the growing use of drugs such as brown sugar, cocaine, synthetic and injectable drugs among youth, he said the government was working on a war footing to tackle the issue.
Sports and Youth Services Minister Suryabanshi Suraj called upon young people to actively participate in the nationwide campaign against drug abuse, urging them to contribute towards building a healthy, empowered and developed India.
PTI