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Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presided over a meeting of 'Khelo Himachal-Chitta Mukt Abhiyan' here on Tuesday evening. It is a flagship initiative aimed at combating drug abuse through sports and youth engagement across the State.
He reviewed the strategy and roadmap for the campaign, which seeks to channelize the energy of the youth towards constructive and healthy activities while creating a strong social movement against the menace of 'Chitta,' according to a release. The Chief Minister expressed concern over the growing challenge of 'Chitta' and other narcotic substances and said that drug addiction was not only destroying the lives of youth but also adversely affecting the families and society as a whole. The state government has adopted a multi-pronged approach to eradicate drug abuse by combining strict enforcement against drug networks with preventive and rehabilitative measures. Sukhu said, "sports could serve as a powerful tool for social transformation by instilling discipline, teamwork, confidence and a spirit of healthy competition among young people." He emphasized that the 'Khelo Himachal-Chitta Mukt Abhiyan' would encourage youth participation in sports activities at the grass-root level and provide a positive alternative to substance abuse. The Chief Minister stressed the need to create awareness among the youth against 'Chitta' across all 3,758 gram panchayats, eight municipal corporations, 29 municipal councils and 39 Nagar Panchayats of the state, with special focus on the 235 highly affected gram panchayats identified for intensive intervention. Various sports competitions, awareness programmes, community outreach activities and youth engagement initiatives would be organized to create widespread awareness about the harmful effects of drugs. He said that sports competitions would be organized at sub-divisional, district and state levels and for proper conduct, monitoring and supervision of tournaments at these levels, technical committee would be deployed comprising of referees from sports associations, youth services and sports, education and police departments. He said that Rs. 11.56 crore would be allocated for organizing these competitions and prize money would be given to winner and runner up teams. Sukhu said that the state government was committed to building a healthy, disciplined and empowered generation capable of leading Himachal towards a brighter future. He said that early intervention, awareness and active community participation were essential to preventing addiction before it takes root among young people. The Chief Minister said that the vision of a 'Nasha-Mukt Himachal' could be realized only through collective efforts involving government agencies, educational institutions, sports organizations, local bodies, panchayati raj institutions and civil society. He called upon all stakeholders to actively support the campaign and ensure its success at the grassroots level. Secretary, Youth Services and Sports Priyanka Basu Ingty, Director Shivam Pratap Singh and Special Secretary Naveen Tanwar and other senior officers were also present in the meeting. (ANI)
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