SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday launched the Jammu and Kashmir chapter of the ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan’, a 100-week nationwide anti-drug campaign aimed at mobilising youth against substance abuse, and announced that a new rehabilitation scheme for drug abuse victims will soon be rolled out in the Union Territory.
The campaign was launched at a UT-level function organised by the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with SKUAST-Kashmir. The nationwide initiative was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing the gathering, Sinha said India’s youth remain its greatest strength and stressed the need to channel their energy towards nation-building and healthy lifestyles.
“The campaign seeks to inspire young people to stay away from drugs and actively contribute to the country’s development,” he said, adding that the anti-drug movement must become a people’s campaign involving every section of society.
Referring to the recently concluded 100-day Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyan, conducted from April 11 to July 20, the Lieutenant Governor said the campaign had emerged as a model for the rest of the country due to the coordinated efforts of the administration, police, educational institutions, religious leaders and civil society.
Highlighting the campaign’s achievements, Sinha said around 2,300 FIRs had been registered and 2,600 persons arrested in connection with drug-related offences. He said nearly 1,500 kilograms of narcotics were seized during the drive.
He further said authorities had attached 331 properties worth around Rs 200 crore belonging to alleged narco-terrorists and drug smugglers. Besides, more than 370 driving licences and 750 vehicle registrations were cancelled, while recommendations had been made for cancellation of nearly 3,000 Aadhaar cards linked to those involved in drug trafficking.
The Lieutenant Governor also announced that the administration would soon launch the Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Scheme for Drug Abuse Victims, 2026, with pilot projects in two of the worst-affected districts in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the three-year rehabilitation programme would focus on medical treatment, counselling, education, skill development, employment, social reintegration and long-term monitoring of recovering addicts.
Describing drug addiction as both a law-and-order and social challenge, Sinha said affected youth should be treated with dignity and provided opportunities to rebuild their lives.
He also appealed to parents, teachers, youth organisations and volunteers of MY Bharat and Nehru Yuva Kendras to take the anti-drug campaign to every village, school and college across the Union Territory.
On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor administered the Nasha Mukt Yuva Pledge to participants, reaffirming the commitment to building a drug-free Jammu and Kashmir.Youth Must Lead the Fight Against Drugs: LG Sinha
