Hyderabad: The three-day Nasha Mukt Bharat Yatra will begin in Hyderabad on November 25 under the leadership of Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy. The first phase of the campaign, titled ‘Hyderabad Walks for Nasha Mukt Bharat’, will continue until November 27.
The initiative aims to mobilise public participation in efforts to prevent drug abuse and promote a drug-free society. As part of the preparations, organisers held a conference of intellectuals at Visvesvaraya Bhavan in Khairatabad. Kishan Reddy attended the programme as the chief guest.
During the meeting, performers presented a skit depicting the harmful effects of drug abuse on young people. The performance moved the audience, while participants later pledged to work towards a drug-free society.
Nasha Mukt Bharat Yatra to seek wider public participation
Addressing the media, Kishan Reddy said the Narendra Modi government had launched a nationwide movement to make India drug-free by 2029. He described the initiative as a historic public campaign and called for participation from different sections of society.
The Union Minister urged artists, film personalities, sportspersons, industrialists, educational institutions, media representatives and intellectuals to support the campaign. He stressed that efforts to tackle drug abuse required public involvement alongside government action.
Accordingly, he appealed to citizens to take an active role in spreading awareness about the dangers of narcotics. Kishan Reddy said India’s young population represented the country’s greatest strength. However, he warned that drug abuse threatened the future of young people and the nation.
He also urged families, institutions and communities to recognise the seriousness of the narcotics problem. The Union Minister said preventing drug abuse should not remain solely the responsibility of the government and police.
Instead, he called for a coordinated public response involving people from different professional and social backgrounds. He emphasised that the growing threat of narcotics required collective efforts to protect young people.
The Nasha Mukt Bharat Yatra, scheduled from November 25 to 27, will form part of these public awareness efforts in Hyderabad. The preparatory conference also brought together representatives from educational institutions, voluntary organisations and civil society.
Rajya Sabha MP Dr. K. Laxman, former MLA Chintala Ramachandra Reddy and former Director General of Police Dinesh Reddy attended the meeting. Other participants included retired Major General V.R. Mahendra, Dr. Siddhartha Reddy and JNTU representative Kishan Kumar Reddy.
Psychiatrist Dr. Sudhakar, several academicians, NGO representatives and social activists also participated in the discussions. The meeting concluded with participants taking a pledge to contribute to efforts aimed at building a drug-free society.