Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today launched a documentary and collage exhibition on the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’, marking a significant step in raising awareness against drug abuse, an official press release informed.
It said the LG commended the University of Jammu for its efforts in reflecting the challenges faced by the youth of Jammu & Kashmir and the collective resolve to overcome them.
In his address, the LG emphasized that the beginning of any social change lies in acknowledging its reality. Drug abuse has long posed a grave challenge to the social fabric of Jammu & Kashmir, devastating families and threatening the future of the younger generation. He highlighted the link between drug smuggling and narco-terrorism, underscoring the importance of dismantling these networks to ensure peace, security and drug-free Jammu & Kashmir.
The LG recalled the launch of the ‘Nasha Mukt Jammu & Kashmir’ campaign in 2020. He said building on that momentum, a comprehensive 100-day ‘Nasha Mukt Jammu & Kashmir Abhiyan’ was initiated earlier this year in April, extending beyond formal events to villages, schools, universities, and families.
Through ‘Padyatra’, awareness drives, and administrative action, the campaign became a people’s movement. Women, youth clubs, teachers, doctors, civil society groups, and religious leaders played pivotal roles in spreading awareness and supporting rehabilitation.
Highlighting the three-pronged approach of dismantling supply chains, creating awareness, and rehabilitation, the LG noted the introduction of the Rehabilitation and Socio-Economic Reintegration Scheme for Drug Abuse Victims, 2026. This scheme aims to reintegrate affected youth into mainstream society, ensuring they lead healthy and responsible lives.
“I am happy that, in this direction, the University of Jammu has stepped forward and is playing its role through today’s initiatives. Under the guidance of faculty members, students have also attempted to understand various aspects of drug de-addiction. I believe this is the true power of education, because when knowledge connects with human sensitivity, it transforms into social responsibility,” he said.
The LG urged students of the University of Jammu to take on the roles of messengers, participants, and guardians of Nasha-Mukt Jammu & Kashmir Abhiyan. He called upon youth to engage peers, counter misconceptions, and extend support to those struggling with addiction. He emphasized that awareness, family support, timely assistance and rehabilitation are key to lasting change.
“A major goal is to make the University of Jammu campus and other educational institutions drug-free, and I want youth to work together with the administration, health institutions, civil society groups and youth organisations. I also expect that this documentary will be screened in every department of the university and shown in other institutions of the Jammu division as well so that more and more people connect with the resolve of healthy youth, empowered society, and drug-free Jammu & Kashmir,” the LG said.
… flags off annual Harmukh-Gangabal Yatra in Ganderbal
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday flagged off the annual Harmukh-Gangabal Yatra in Ganderbal district.
Member of Parliament Mian Altaf, MLA Kangan Mian Mehar Ali, senior police and civil administration officers, and many Kashmiri Pandit pilgrims from across the country attended the flag-off ceremony at Naranag in the central Kashmir district.
“Today flagged off the Harmukh Gangabal pilgrimage at Ganderbal. This sacred Yatra embodies purity, devotion, and unity in diversity, a living expression of eternal faith, strengthens our soul, connects us with nature, and inspires harmony. May Lord Shiva’s blessings guide us towards compassion, culture and collective consciousness,” the LG said in a post on X.
Speaking to reporters after the flag-off ceremony, Sinha said many devotees from Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country had arrived to undertake the annual pilgrimage.
“I extend my best wishes to all of them, and I have full faith that the blessings of this sacred pilgrimage always remain upon the people here, and Jammu and Kashmir will continue to move forward on the path of peace and progress,” he said.
The district administration has made necessary arrangements, including security-related ones, for the pilgrimage. The annual yatra, a 15-km trek to Gangabal Lake, nestled at around 14,500 feet in the Harmukh mountain range in the district’s upper reaches, is considered a sacred pilgrimage for Kashmiri Pandits.
