Shillong, Aug 2: Young people around the country, including Meghalaya, took a collective pledge on Sunday to stay away from substance abuse as part of the nationwide ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva: Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan’.
Events were held in various locations, such as the Lok Bhavan in Shillong and on the campus of the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) in Ri-Bhoi. The nationwide programme was organised simultaneously at around 28,000 locations across the country, bringing together more than 1 crore youth who participated virtually from different parts of India.
The events were linked virtually to the national launch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The campaign aims to mobilise youth across the country to build a drug-free India by 2047.
In his address, Modi described the youth as the backbone of a Viksit Bharat and called for collective action by educational institutions, families and communities to spread awareness against drugs.
Meghalaya Governor CH Vijayashankar attended a programme held at Lok Bhavan.
The programme witnessed participation from students and faculty members representing various educational institutions across Meghalaya, including North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong, Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU), along with participants from several other universities, colleges and institutions of higher education across the state. Members of prominent religious and spiritual organisations were also present during the occasion.
The programme concluded with a street play (Nukkad Natak) presented by the state-level winners of the Nasha Mukti competition, which conveyed a strong message on the harmful effects of drug abuse and emphasised the importance of collective action by families, educational institutions, communities and government agencies in creating awareness and preventing substance abuse.
At USTM, the programme saw participation from Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque, Vice-Chancellor Prof GD Sharma, Ri-Bhoi Additional Deputy Commissioner Nipon Hajong, etc.
Hoque thanked both the central and state governments for including USTM in the initiative, saying the university remains committed to social welfare programmes.
Hajong urged students to act as ambassadors in their villages and colleges to carry the anti-drug message forward.
