Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off the ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan’ on Sunday, August 2, 2026, at 11 am via video conferencing, launching a nationwide campaign aimed at keeping young people away from substance abuse.
The launch event brought together participants from nearly 10,000 locations nationwide, with more than 1 crore youth taking a national pledge to avoid substance abuse and act as ambassadors of positive change in their communities.
MY Bharat Volunteers, the National Service Scheme, youth clubs, schools, colleges, universities, NGOs, industrial associations and over 125 spiritual organisations all took part in the launch.
The event marks the beginning of a 100-week Jan Bhagidari campaign against substance abuse, with weekly activities scheduled every Sunday across the country going forward.
The weekly programme will include sports events, walkathons, meditation sessions, cultural programmes, awareness campaigns, nukkad nataks, discussion forums and art competitions, among other community activities.
The initiative extends the government’s existing Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan with a structured, multi-year schedule of youth engagement activities rather than a one-time campaign launch.
Officials said the choice of Sunday for weekly activities is intended to maximise participation from students and working professionals who have more free time to join community events on the day.
The 100-week timeline gives the campaign a multi-year runway, allowing organisers to track engagement and adjust programming based on which activity formats draw the strongest youth participation in different regions.
Government officials have described substance abuse among youth as a public health and social challenge that requires sustained, community-led engagement rather than a single awareness event.
The ‘Viksit Bharat’ framing links the anti-drug campaign to the government’s broader goal of a developed India by 2047, positioning youth wellbeing as a foundation for the country’s long-term development agenda.
Educational institutions, from schools to universities, are expected to play a central role in sustaining the weekly Sunday activities, given their direct access to the young people the campaign is targeting.
Photo: Prime Minister’s Office, Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India
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