When the Prime Minister called on India’s youth to fight drugs, Arunachal Pradesh didn’t just listen — it answered back, loud and clear.
On Sunday, August 2, Governor KT Parnaik and Chief Minister Pema Khandu joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s virtual launch of the ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan’ — a sweeping, 100-week national campaign aimed at pulling India’s youth back from the edge of substance abuse. While the Governor watched from Lok Bhavan in Itanagar, CM Khandu joined from Tawang, making it clear that this wasn’t just a symbolic checkbox. Across the state, from Pasighat to Bomdila, communities mobilised, pledges were taken, and over one crore young Indians stood together — even if only through a screen.
A Campaign Built for the Long Haul
PM Modi addressed more than one crore young people from over 10,000 locations across the country, including educational institutions and youth centres in Arunachal Pradesh. He didn’t mince words either. He warned the country’s youth that drugs can give them a “high” for some time, but would make their entire career and personal life “low.” Straight talk — and the kind that actually lands. The 100-week initiative, running through the Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) platform under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, plans weekly Sunday activities including sports events, walkathons, cultural programmes, and community outreach across all states and union territories.
Governor Parnaik Gets Specific — Street Shows, Village Elders, and Surveillance
What stood out about Governor Parnaik’s response was that he didn’t stop at applauding the campaign. He proposed organising “nasha mukt street shows” every Sunday in the state for the next 100 days to create widespread awareness and mobilise communities, particularly young people, against the menace of drugs. He pushed for a hands-on, ground-level strategy — urging gaon buras, community elders, and panchayat leaders to identify vulnerable youth, counsel affected families, and help prevent drug abuse in villages. He also called for intelligence-based surveillance to crack down on drug trafficking routes. And for those already in the trade? The Governor stated that those involved in drug-related offences must be dealt with firmly under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. No softening there.
CM Khandu Calls on Youth to Lead from the Front
Chief Minister Pema Khandu urged the youth of the frontier state to become active ambassadors in the movement against substance abuse. In a social media post, he framed the campaign as a true people’s movement under PM Modi’s leadership, urging every young person in Arunachal to influence their families, friends, and communities toward a healthier, drug-free life. It’s the kind of message that hits differently when it comes from someone who represents a state where substance abuse among youth has quietly become a growing crisis.
Districts Step Up — From Nirjuli to Yingkiong
Across Arunachal, districts didn’t wait to be told twice. In Nirjuli, more than 520 youths gathered at NERIST for the event, where Itanagar Capital Region Deputy Commissioner Toko Babu administered the Nasha Mukti pledge. Arunachal Pradesh University in Pasighat held a special campus programme. In West Kameng’s Bomdila, MY Bharat volunteers, NCC cadets, and students took the pledge together. Upper Siang, West Siang, and Lower Siang districts all ran parallel events — each with pledges, speeches, and a live telecast of the PM’s address.
The scale of Sunday’s mobilisation across Arunachal was, frankly, hard to ignore. A hundred weeks is nearly two years. Whether this campaign sustains its energy beyond the headlines — that’s the real test. But if Sunday was any indication, the state is ready to take it seriously. The question now is: will the streets of Arunachal actually reflect that promise, week after week, Sunday after Sunday?
#NashaMuktYuva #ViksitBharat #ArunachalPradesh #DrugFreeIndia #PemaKhandu #PMModiCampaign #MeraYuvaBharat #DrugAwareness #NashaMuktBharat #ArunachalYouth #GovernorParnaik #SubstanceAbusePrevention #YouthEmpowerment #JanBhagidari #NortheastIndia #NERIST #ItanagarNews #DrugFreeYouth #AbotaniTV #Viksit2047
