Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has urged Goans to actively support the fight against drug abuse by reporting cases of addiction among young people to the police, Health Department, or Social Welfare Department, enabling timely rehabilitation and treatment.

Speaking at the Goa launch of the Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat – Sankalp Abhiyan, Sawant said the battle against drugs cannot be won by the government alone and requires the participation of every section of society.

He explained that drug traffickers often exploit friendships and social networks to introduce narcotics to young people, sometimes providing them free of cost in the beginning before addiction takes hold. He warned that substance dependence can eventually push individuals towards criminal activities to sustain their habit.

Appealing for greater public participation, the Chief Minister said teachers, parents, community leaders, and citizens all have an important role in protecting the younger generation from the dangers of drugs.

"We must work together to build a drug-free Goa. Developing the nation's youth is essential to achieving the vision of a developed India, and that is only possible if our youth remain free from substance abuse," Sawant said.

The Chief Minister also announced that Goa will conduct awareness drives and outreach programmes over the next 100 weeks as part of the nationwide anti-drug campaign.

The initiative forms part of the 'Nasha Mukt Bharat, Nasha Mukt Yuva' movement launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed participants through a nationwide live broadcast.

In his address, the Prime Minister said more than one crore young people from schools, colleges, universities, NSS units, and the My Bharat platform had joined the campaign. He encouraged them to become ambassadors of a drug-free India and urged educational, social, and religious institutions to sustain anti-drug awareness activities over the next 100 weeks.

Modi said India's youth will play a decisive role in achieving the country's vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047, adding that a healthy, responsible, and drug-free generation is key to realising that goal.