Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati, the governor of Odisha, asked the youth to take the lead in the country’s battle against drug misuse, stating that the realization of Viksit Bharat 2047 requires a youthful generation that is responsible, disciplined, and healthy. Speaking during the “Drug-Free Youth Awareness and Youth Empowerment Campaign for a Viksit Bharat” at Kalinga Stadium, the Governor stated that the values, character, and sense of responsibility of India’s young will create the country’s future in addition to government policies and infrastructure.
According to the governor, the countrywide effort, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually started, represents the nation’s shared will to create a drug-free, confident, and healthy India. He praised the Prime Minister’s leadership and stated that the “Nasha Mukta Bharat” project places the youth at the center of India’s development path and acknowledges them as the country’s greatest strength. Dr. Kambhampati warned about the rising threat of substance misuse, stating that addiction silently ruins young people’s hopes and goals, impairs their capacity to make wise decisions, and denies them possibilities for a better future. According to him, drug misuse weakens society and the country while affecting people as well as families financially and emotionally.
The governor urged parents, educators, educational institutions, and society at large to collaborate in establishing a drug-free environment, characterizing the battle against addiction as a shared duty. As constructive alternatives to substance misuse, he encouraged youth to embrace sports, exercise, yoga, culture, creativity, and volunteerism. The governor urged young people to choose athletics over addiction, education over substance misuse, and social service over self-destruction by highlighting Odisha’s athletic accomplishments. Additionally, he asked them to become campaign ambassadors by raising awareness and motivating others to abstain from drugs.
The young and the “Gen-Z” generation are important players in creating a developed India by 2047, according to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who also spoke at the event. According to him, drug addiction is a significant barrier to social and economic advancement in addition to being a health problem.
