Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday launched the ‘Drug-Free Mumbai’ campaign, calling for coordinated efforts by the police, health and social justice departments, schools, parents, teachers, students and citizens to eliminate drug abuse and trafficking from the city. Fadnavis said the government would take stringent action against those involved in the manufacture, trafficking and sale of narcotic substances, with a particular focus on eliminating gangs selling drugs in and around schools and colleges.
Speaking at the launch event at Worli Dome, Fadnavis said the government would make every effort to achieve the goal of a drug-free Mumbai within the next two to four years. He urged students to take a firm pledge to stay away from drugs, saying that a determined rejection of narcotics by young people would make it difficult for anyone to push them into addiction.
“Every student is the eyes and ears of society,” Fadnavis said, urging them to share information about people falling into addiction as well as those involved in the drug trade. He assured that the identity of informants would be kept confidential and announced that those providing useful information would also be rewarded.
The Chief Minister said letters would be sent to principals of all schools and colleges in the state, while the government would extend full support to implementing the ‘Drug-Free Campus’ and ‘Drug-Free School’ initiatives.
Fadnavis said the fight against drugs was not merely an issue of law and order but was linked to the future of the country and therefore required collective action. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘Drug-Free India’, he called for a collective resolve to build a drug-free Mumbai, Maharashtra and India.
He said India was rapidly advancing in science, technology, artificial intelligence, space research and defence, but alleged that attempts were being made to weaken the country from within by trapping its young population in drug addiction. Drugs, he said, were among the most dangerous weapons in this “hidden war” and every citizen must treat the fight against them as a personal responsibility.
The government would also focus on the rehabilitation of people suffering from addiction and their reintegration into mainstream society, Fadnavis said. He urged young people to firmly reject drugs and cautioned them against falling prey to inducements.
Referring to the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, Fadnavis said the youth should become a constructive force for nation-building rather than a destructive force for society. He administered a pledge to participants to work towards a drug-free society, invoking the inspiration of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Bharat Ratna Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, who heads the high-level committee for the state’s de-addiction awareness campaign, said the ‘Drug-Free Mumbai’ initiative should become a mass movement involving active participation from citizens.
Lodha said the campaign would continue until Mumbai was completely free of drugs and appealed to citizens to participate as a social responsibility. Awareness programmes, counselling and drug-prevention initiatives would be conducted in schools, colleges and other educational institutions, he said.
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