Lt. Governor K. Kailashnathan administering the Nasha Mukt Yuva pledge to students at a programme in Pondicherry University on August 2, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Puducherry Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan on Sunday (August 2, 2026) urged students and youth volunteers to become “watchdogs and moral guardians” of their campuses in the fight against drug abuse, describing the menace as a “silent pandemic” that threatens India’s national security and its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
Addressing students, faculty and My Bharat volunteers at the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan programme held at Pondicherry University, Mr. Kailashnathan said the campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not a routine government scheme but a solemn national pledge and a mass people’s movement that required participation from every citizen.
A developed nation cannot be built on infrastructure and economic growth alone. He noted that roughly 40% of India’s population is aged between 15 and 35, calling this demographic the “engine” that will drive the country’s development.
“A Viksit Bharat is absolutely impossible without a Nasha Mukt Bharat,” he said, adding youth can contribute to nation-building only if they remain physically strong, mentally sound and emotionally resilient.
The Lt. Governor cautioned drug abuse was not merely a personal or family tragedy but a broader threat to India’s economic and security interests. He said resources meant for education, healthcare and infrastructure were increasingly being diverted to manage addiction-related crises, undermining the country’s ambition to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2030.
He further warned illicit proceeds from narcotics trafficking were being used to fund organised crime, anti-national activities and narco-terrorism, calling the issue a “direct and critical threat to national security.”
“The prevailing drug abuse in our country is tearing at the very fabric of our society. It almost always begins with a seemingly harmless experiment – a single instance of giving in to peer pressure or seeking a temporary escape from academic or personal stress. But this experiment transforms into a habit. Before the individual even realizes it, it degrades into a severe addiction,” he said.
He also spoke of the toll on families – citing parents who sacrifice their comforts to educate their children, only to see those dreams destroyed by addiction.
Mr. Kailashnathan appealed to the students to pledge to stay away from drugs and to intervene when they notice friends or roommates withdrawing or falling into bad company, urging them to use social media, debates and youth festivals to spread the anti-drug message
“Let Puducherry emerge as a shining beacon in this national campaign,” he said
Mr. Kailashnathan also administered the Nasha Mukt Yuva Pledge to the students.
Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, Pondicherry University Vice-Chancellor Prof. P. Prakash Babu, Chief Secretary Sharat Chauhan and officials participated.
Published – August 02, 2026 04:43 pm IST
