The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, through the Directorate of MY Bharat-National Service Scheme (NSS), organised Cluster of Block-Level Sports Meets across the country under Week 9 of the 100-Week ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan’. Held under Month 3 of the campaign, themed ‘Strong Communities, Healthy Youth’, the initiative brought together thousands of student volunteers, local youth clubs and community members from neighbouring villages, blocks and colleges to promote discipline, teamwork and an addiction-free lifestyle through sports. A total of 992 activities were organised, mobilising 87,481 student volunteers, local youth club members and community spectators across the country.

Launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 02.08.2026 under the umbrella of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, the Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat campaign aims to promote a drug-free and healthy society by encouraging young people to stay away from drugs, alcohol, tobacco and other addictive substances.

Field reports from more than 130 institutions across 10 Regional Directorates – Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow and Trivandrum – included a range of sporting activities, including 100-metre and 400-metre sprints, marathons, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Volleyball, Football and Basketball. Traditional games such as Tug of War (Rassa-Kassi), Rumal Jhapat and Lemon Races were also organised. In Lakshadweep, participants took part in traditional island games organised under Regional Directorate Trivandrum.

The campaign also placed emphasis on gender inclusion, with 42,190 female participants taking part in sporting events and awareness activities. The sporting events were integrated with anti-addiction awareness activities to reinforce the message of the campaign. Each competition commenced with a collective Nasha Mukt Sankalp, with athletes, referees, coaches and spectators taking a pledge to uphold fair play and lead an addiction-free lifestyle.

Health awareness kiosks were set up at major clusters across Bhopal, Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi. These kiosks disseminated Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials on mental health and provided information about the national de-addiction helpline (14446). The events were further supplemented by Nukkad Nataks (street plays), anti-drug rallies and slogan-writing competitions to raise awareness about substance abuse, peer pressure and pathways to recovery.

Local administration and specialists also extended support to the initiative. Senior police and Narcotics Cell officers from Bathinda, Kasaragod and Coimbatore, psychiatrists, de-addiction specialists and local civic representatives, including Panchayat Sarpanches, participated in the activities.  

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Gaurav Saini

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