Mann ki Baat: PM Modi calls for united front against drug abuse

Cautioning against the perils associated with drug abuse, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed to citizens to unite against this scourge and build a stronger future for the youth, noting that addiction engulfs not just an individual but impacts the entire society.

In his monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’, he noted that the ‘Drug-Free Youth for a Developed India’ campaign is rapidly gaining momentum across the country and stressed that its objective is clear: ‘Drug-free youth, drug-free India’.

The prime minister said he was happy that this campaign has not remained merely a formality, as many people, especially the youth, are becoming a part of it in large numbers.

“After all, this is our collective resolve for the health, happiness, and bright future of India’s youth. Let us all play our part in this noble mission to keep India’s youth away from drugs and free from addiction,” he said.

Modi said drug addiction does not just engulf a single individual, as the entire family and society have to bear the consequences. 

“I would like to commend those who raise awareness against drugs and step forward to help individuals struggling with addiction,” he said.

The Drug-Free India through the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ (NMBA) is a flagship initiative of the Government. The campaign seeks to prevent substance abuse through awareness generation, community participation, treatment, rehabilitation, aftercare and social reintegration.

The prime minister also highlighted the PM SVANidhi Yojana welfare scheme for street vendors, noting that lakhs of women are gaining strength from it.

Lakhs of women across the streets of cities and towns are engaged in selling vegetables or fruits, running tea stalls, while some are selling flowers, earthen lamps, and ‘pooja’ material, he noted.

“Often, a mere lack of capital prevents their businesses from growing further. But now, lakhs of such mothers and sisters are gaining new strength through the ‘PM SVANidhi Yojana’,” he said.

Modi said this aspect of ‘women empowerment’ is not discussed as much as it should be since women account for approximately 46 per cent of the beneficiaries of the ‘PM SVANidhi Yojana’.

“This means that around 35 lakh women across the country are expanding their businesses by connecting with this scheme,” he asserted.

Referring to two women — one from Ghaziabad and the other from Bengaluru — who have benefitted from the ‘PM SVANidhi Yojana’, the prime minister said when a woman’s business grows, the future of her entire family advances along with it.  “Children receive better education, household needs are met, and the woman’s self-confidence is strengthened. This is, indeed, a living example of ‘women’s empowerment’,” he said.