Shillong, May 28: Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Raksha Khadse, today called for a collective, mission-mode approach to combat the growing challenge of substance abuse among youth while addressing the ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat – Purvottar’ programme organised by MY Bharat under the Department of Youth Affairs at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong.
The programme brought together representatives from 24 spiritual and social organisations, youth officers, civil society stakeholders and institutional leaders to deliberate on strategies for strengthening anti-drug awareness and youth engagement initiatives across the North East region.
Addressing the gathering, Khadse said that India’s youth population is the country’s greatest strength and emphasised that guiding young people in the right direction would be critical to achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
“We must collectively take forward the Nasha Mukt Abhiyan in mission mode. Our youth are the greatest strength of the nation, and it is our shared responsibility to guide them towards the right direction. If we provide them with positive guidance and opportunities, we will certainly achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047,” she said.
Highlighting the seriousness of substance abuse and addiction, the minister noted that the issue must be viewed not merely as an individual challenge but as a larger social concern requiring coordinated community action and sustained institutional intervention.
Referring to the role of MY Bharat, she said the platform was envisioned to connect youth with nation-building initiatives and encourage their active participation in addressing social challenges at the grassroots level. She urged Youth Officers and partner organisations to ensure that MY Bharat initiatives reach every district and every section of society.
Khadse also underlined the importance of sports as a transformative social force capable of positively engaging young people and reducing vulnerability to addiction, stress and social isolation.
“Sports can become one of the most effective instruments for channelising youth energy in a constructive direction. States across the North East, along with Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Goa, already possess a strong sports culture. We must connect more youth with sports, local cultural activities and positive community engagement,” she said.
She further stated that increasing participation of youth in cultural and spiritual programmes presents an opportunity to guide them towards constructive social engagement and collective responsibility.
