Youth Development / Odisha Governor Urges Youth to Lead Drug-Free India Movement

Bhubaneswar, Aug 2: Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati has urged India’s youth to take the lead in building a drug-free nation, stressing that the country’s future depends not only on policies and infrastructure but also on the values, choices, and responsibilities embraced by its younger generation.

Speaking at the Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Awareness and Youth Empowerment Campaign at Kalinga Stadium, virtually launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Governor described the initiative as a national resolve to create a healthy, confident, and drug-free India.

Commending the Prime Minister’s leadership, Dr. Kambhampati said the vision of a Nasha Mukt Bharat recognizes that India’s greatest strength lies in its youth. A disciplined, determined, and healthy younger generation, he emphasized, will play a decisive role in achieving the goal of a developed India by 2047.

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The Governor warned that drug addiction silently destroys dreams, weakens judgment, and robs young people of opportunities. Addiction, he noted, not only harms individuals but also inflicts emotional and financial distress on families, while depriving society of productive citizens. Rejecting drugs, he said, is not merely a personal choice but a pledge to one’s family, teachers, friends, and the nation.

Encouraging youth to embrace sports, fitness, yoga, culture, innovation, and volunteerism, Dr. Kambhampati highlighted Odisha’s emergence as a leading sporting state. He urged young people to choose playgrounds over drugs, classrooms over addiction, and service over self-destruction. He stressed that building a drug-free society requires collective efforts from parents, teachers, institutions, communities, and youth themselves, who must become ambassadors of the movement.

Calling upon every participant to become a torchbearer of the campaign, the Governor urged youth to pledge to remain drug-free and spread the message of awareness, compassion, and responsibility, transforming the initiative into a true people’s movement.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, present at the event, praised Prime Minister Modi’s visionary leadership and said Gen Z and India’s youth are the key architects of a Viksit Bharat by 2047. He reiterated Odisha’s zero-tolerance policy against the illegal drug trade and narcotics syndicates, describing drug abuse as a major social and economic challenge.

Sports and Youth Services Minister Suryabanshi Suraj also addressed the gathering, urging young people to actively participate in the nationwide campaign against drug abuse and contribute to building a healthy, empowered, and developed India.