Governor urges public participation in anti-drug campaign

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, August 3, 2026

Tripura Governor N. Indrasena Reddy on Sunday called for active public participation in the "Nasha Mukt Yuva Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan", saying the campaign against drug abuse should become a people's movement.

The governor was speaking at the virtual launch of the nationwide campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Tripura University. The programme was organised jointly by MY Bharat and the university.

Addressing the gathering, Reddy urged parents to educate their children about the dangers of substance abuse, teachers to guide students, community leaders to set examples and young people to stay away from drugs while motivating their peers to do the same.

He said the Centre had been taking sustained measures to tackle drug addiction since 2014 and referred to the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR), implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The plan focuses on drug abuse prevention, awareness generation, identification of substance abuse, counselling, treatment and rehabilitation, he said.

The governor said the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, launched on August 15, 2020, was one of the flagship initiatives under the NAPDDR. Initially covering 272 districts identified as vulnerable to drug abuse, the campaign has now been expanded to all districts across the country, he added.

He said the initiative rests on three components: curbing the supply of narcotics through the Narcotics Control Bureau, creating public awareness through the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and providing treatment and rehabilitation through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Referring to Tripura's international border, Reddy said the state remained vulnerable to illegal drug trafficking and stressed the need for coordinated efforts by the Centre, the state government, educational institutions, civil society organisations and the public to combat the menace.

The governor also administered a pledge for a drug-free India to those attending the programme.

Tripura University Vice-Chancellor Prof Debabrata Das, Social Welfare and Social Education Department Special Secretary Tapan Kumar Das, West Tripura District Magistrate Dr Vishal Kumar, MY Bharat Tripura Director Mehboob Alam Laskar, faculty members, volunteers, students and other officials were present.

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