Union Minister Virendra Kumar administers ‘Pledge Against Drug Abuse’

Haridwar, June 26 (IANS) Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Virendra Kumar, on Friday administered the ‘Pledge Against Drug Abuse’ and the ‘Ageing with Dignity Pledge’ at an event here, reaffirming the government’s commitment towards building a drug-free and inclusive society.

The Union Minister also led a Nasha Mukt Rally at an event marking the culmination of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Saptah, observed from June 17 to June 26.

The Saptah was organised to commemorate the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and culminated on Friday in a National Awareness Programme held at Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya (DSVV), Haridwar, Uttarakhand.

It witnessed the participation of more than 1.31 crore citizens through a series of awareness generation and community mobilisation activities, said an official statement.

Virendra Kumar encouraged the 4,000 rally participants whose energy demonstrated widespread public support for the national movement against substance abuse, said the statement.

The programme witnessed enthusiastic participation from thousands of people, both online and offline, including students, youths, volunteers from various spiritual organisations, representatives of the Government of Uttarakhand, and other local stakeholders, said the statement.

Representatives from States and Union Territories, line Ministries and Departments, Grant-in-Aid institutions, Addiction Treatment Facilities, and other stakeholders from across the country also joined the programme, reiterating their collective commitment towards building a Nasha Mukt Bharat, it said.

A key highlight of the programme was the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment and the All-World Gayatri Pariwar under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) and the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY).

The MoUs aim to strengthen collaboration in the areas of awareness generation, community mobilisation, drug demand reduction, and the promotion of the welfare of senior citizens through the message of Ageing with Dignity across the country, said the statement.

The programme also recognised the outstanding contributions of Nasha Mukti Mitras for their exemplary efforts in promoting awareness and mobilising communities against substance abuse.

Winners of various competitions organised by State Governments under NMBA, along with outstanding-performing stakeholders, were felicitated for their significant contributions towards promoting a drug-free society, said the statement.

–IANS

rch/uk