Anganwadi workers across Punjab are being brought into the state government’s Yudh Nashean Virudh campaign as Nasha Mukti Mitras, with the initiative focusing on community-level awareness, early intervention and prevention of drug abuse.
A state-level programme in Malout, Sri Muktsar Sahib, highlighted the government’s approach of expanding the campaign beyond enforcement and de-addiction services to include community participation and preventive measures. At the event, Social Security and Women and Child Development Minister Dr Baljit Kaur felicitated 20 Anganwadi workers serving as Nasha Mukti Mitras for their contribution to spreading awareness about substance abuse.
The workers, who regularly interact with families and children, are being positioned as community-level ambassadors. Their role includes sensitising people about the dangers of drugs, encouraging early intervention and helping people who need assistance connect with government de-addiction and rehabilitation services.
The Malout programme also highlighted sports as part of the prevention strategy. More than 100 sports kits containing hockey, football, volleyball and cricket equipment were distributed among youngsters from the district.
Kaur said the government was expanding sports infrastructure to provide healthier alternatives for young people and keep them away from drugs. She said around 3,000 sports grounds were being developed across Punjab, while 500 pind gyms were inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in January.
{{/usCountry}}Kaur said the government was expanding sports infrastructure to provide healthier alternatives for young people and keep them away from drugs. She said around 3,000 sports grounds were being developed across Punjab, while 500 pind gyms were inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in January.
{{/usCountry}}The minister also referred to the fourth season of Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan, the annual sports festival launched in Bathinda earlier this month, as another avenue for encouraging youth participation in sporting activities.
Kaur said enforcement was focused on disrupting the supply of drugs, while de-addiction and rehabilitation services supported people already struggling with addiction. She said prevention was also being strengthened by creating access to recreation, sports, community support and adults who could identify early warning signs.
She appealed to teachers, parents, youth clubs, panchayats and social welfare organisations to participate in the campaign. She also urged young people not to abandon friends who may be moving towards drug use, but to support them and encourage them to seek help.
The Malout event included poster-making and essay-writing competitions for schoolchildren, along with cultural performances such as Malwai Giddha and a play focused on drug awareness.
The state is also involving community health workers, schools, parents, panchayats, youth clubs, sports facilities and Village and Ward Defence Committees in prevention efforts. The government said the deployment of Nasha Mukti Mitras would bring the campaign closer to families and communities.