Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday issued a strong warning to drug traffickers, saying they must be ready to face the toughest legal action, including bulldozer measures, if they continue to push the usage of narcotics among youngsters.Majhi made the statement at Kalinga Stadium while joining the nationwide launch of the ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conferencing on Sunday. Majhi added that the Odisha govt is committed to making the state completely free from addiction.“The state has adopted a zero-tolerance approach to break the network of illegal drug trade and organised narcotics syndicates. The Odisha police destroyed illegal cannabis cultivation over 63,720 acres between July 2024 and June 2026, with an estimated value of nearly Rs 1,911 crore. During the same period, 2,576 cases were registered, 3,699 people were arrested and 432 tonnes of cannabis worth around Rs 2,106 crore were seized.”Majhi voiced concern over the increasing use of dangerous substances such as brown sugar, cocaine, synthetic drugs and injectable narcotics among the youth. “The govt is dealing with the problem on a war-footing, which has resulted in the seizure of synthetic drugs in Bhubaneswar and strong action against drug networks in Balasore,” he said.Urging young people to value their lives, Majhi appealed to them to take the ‘say no to drugs’ pledge and stay away from substance abuse.“The govt is not limiting its efforts to enforcement alone, but is also working to strengthen treatment, recovery and rehabilitation facilities for people affected by addiction,” he added.He also urged citizens to immediately alert police if they notice any suspicious drug-related activity in their locality.“The campaign is not a symbolic one-day programme, but a major social movement that will continue for the next 100 weeks, covering nearly two years,” he said.At Kalinga Stadium, Majhi was joined by governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, sports and youth affairs minister Suryabanshi Suraj and hundreds of students.Kambhampati administered the pledge to those present and appealed for collective efforts to create a drug-free society. He encouraged young people to choose sports, fitness, yoga, positive values and social service instead of substance abuse. Noting Odisha’s rise as a major sports hub, he urged the youth to focus on playgrounds and classrooms and use their talent for constructive purposes. “A drug-free society cannot be achieved by govt action alone. Parents, teachers, social organisations and especially young people must take the lead in turning the campaign into a people’s movement,” he added.In the virtual presence of the PM, more than 10 million young people from over 10,000 locations across the country took a pledge to help build a healthy, disciplined, value-driven and drug-free India.
