Modi launches nationwide anti-drug youth campaign, ties fitness to vision of a developed India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a nationwide anti-drug campaign aimed at young people, casting a drug-free youth as central to India’s drive ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a nationwide anti-drug campaign aimed at young people, casting a drug-free youth as central to India’s drive toward “Viksit Bharat,” or developed India. The programme, rolled out virtually from New Delhi, will run for 100 weeks and return every Sunday as a mass public outreach effort.
Modi said India’s young must stay physically fit, mentally strong and confident if the country is to reach its development goals. He urged them to keep away from drugs and build healthy habits instead. The campaign, titled Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan, is meant to push awareness and public participation across the country.
Weekly push against substance abuse
Each Sunday, organisers will stage activities nationwide as part of what Modi described as a Jan Bhagidari, or people’s participation, campaign against substance abuse. The initiative is backed by more than 125 spiritual and public organisations, along with educational institutions, according to one of the reports cited in local media.
Modi thanked more than one crore youth who joined the drug-free India pledge. He said the effort is not aimed at one section alone. “The campaign we are witnessing today is for the individual, the family, and society; above all, it is for the nation,” he said, framing it as a nation-building exercise.
The prime minister said addiction pulls people away from their goals and damages families, while also weakening the country. Young people, he said, must understand the serious consequences of drug use. He linked the message directly to the future workforce and citizens India hopes to raise.
Crackdown and wider security concerns
Alongside the public campaign, Modi said the government has stepped up action against traffickers. He said arrests have risen sharply and narcotics worth thousands of crores of rupees have been seized, signalling a tougher approach on supply chains as well as demand.
He also said the campaign had begun earlier as a pilot project in Kashi and has now expanded nationwide. That wider rollout gives the programme a longer runway than a one-day event. It now stretches over 100 weeks, a sign that the government wants this to stay in the public eye.
Modi’s remarks also reflected a broader political message: as India moves toward its development goals, he said, the country cannot afford a generation held back by addiction. The next test will be whether the Sunday activities can keep schools, community groups and families engaged for the long haul. For now, the government is betting on one number: more than one crore youth already signed the pledge.
