Chandigarh: Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator Gulab Chand Kataria Sunday called upon young people to lead the fight against substance abuse as Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launched the nationwide ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Abhiyaan’, a 100-week campaign aimed at mobilising youth through awareness, community participation and positive engagement.Addressing students, volunteers and representatives of educational institutions at Tagore Theatre, Kataria described the initiative as a national movement that goes beyond awareness and seeks to build a healthy, responsible and empowered generation capable of realising the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.Highlighting the response to the campaign, he said more than three lakh students from 47 universities and higher educational institutions across Punjab participated in the launch, while around 12,000 students and youth volunteers joined from nearly 60 locations in Chandigarh. Across the country, over one crore youth participated from thousands of locations, making it one of India’s largest youth-led anti-drug initiatives.Kataria said the campaign would continue for 100 consecutive weeks, with activities every Sunday, including sports competitions, yoga and meditation sessions, awareness drives, cultural programmes, street plays and community service initiatives to promote healthy lifestyles and keep young people positively engaged.He appealed to parents, teachers, educational institutions, industry bodies, NGOs and religious organisations to actively support the campaign and provide greater opportunities for education, skill development, entrepreneurship and sports.Expressing confidence in the initiative’s success, Kataria said the collective resolve of millions of young Indians would play a decisive role in building a healthy, drug-free society and achieving the goal of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
