https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Bandipora’s Nasha Mukt Bharat Campaign Curing Drug Victims with Empathy and Care

In Bandipora district of J&K, drug addicts are considered as victims. Special care is taken to help them come out of the addiction comfortably. This is done under the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ campaign launched by DC Bandipora, Owais Ahmed, a 2014-batch IAS officer.
Indian Masterminds Stories

It is not unusual to see a drug addict being looked down upon as a criminal and also treated as such, as our society is quick to pass judgment, and blame and condemn both the addict and the peddler. Hence, it is heartening to see that in the Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir, drug addicts are being treated as victims and provided all possible help to come out of their addiction. This is the reason why their ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ campaign has been extremely successful in the last two years, creating mass awareness about drugs, its effects, and rehabilitation. This campaign was launched by 2014-batch IAS officer Owais Ahmed, who is the Deputy Commissioner of Bandipora.

Under his leadership, the district administration launched a massive awareness campaign against the drug menace to uproot this evil from society and save the youth from drugs and the peddlers. It is a multi-pronged programme for a drug-free society. Till now, more than 17,000 outreach programmes have been conducted under the campaign.

Indian Masterminds interacted with Mr. Owais Ahmed, the Deputy Commissioner of Bandipora, to get more details about the initiative.

NASHA MUKT BHARAT

There was a time when Bandipora was facing major drugs-related issues, with youngsters falling prey to drugs and huge amount of contraband substances getting confiscated from many places on a regular basis. A worried administration swung into action and launched the Nasha Mukt Bharat initiative. The campaign created awareness, conducted sports activities, de-addiction counselling, oath-taking ceremony against drugs, debates, carried out mass destruction of drugs, and many more.

CREATING MASS AWARENESS

Mass awareness campaigna are the most important part of the Nasha Mukt Bharat initiative. These campaigns especially target the youth to keep them away from drugs by channelising their energies towards positive and constructive activities. For this, social media is leveraged to the maximum to spread awareness, and special care is taken to send out the message that addicts are victims, not criminals. At the same time, it is sounded out that there is a cure to get rid of this addiction and one can come out of it comfortably through treatment at the de-addiction cells in hospitals.

While saying that the main focus of this campaign remains getting the public involved in its drive against drugs, Mr. Ahmed said, “A new dedicated center for de-addiction is also going to be built in the district. At the same time, police is keeping up the pressure on the big gangs and drug peddlers by pursuing them relentlessly.”

SENDING MESSAGE THROUGH SPORTS

Talking about the sports events, he said that they mostly organise bike and car rallies. “Last year I led the bike rally. These rallies attract a lot of youth. We share our messages with the participants and they carry the same with them wherever they go. This is how our messages spread.”

The aim of such roadshows is to spread the message of drug abuse to every nook and corner of the district in order to make Bandipora drug free and to make participants aware about substance abuse and ways to get rid of this menace and eradicate it from society.

UPROOTING THE MENACE

Another part of the campaign is the destruction of cannabis. Teams go about destroying any cannabis they find, from roadsides to any publicly accessible place where the grass grows naturally. This cleaning up is done regularly.

“Apart from this, our target remains the children, because if they understand, they will stay away from drugs as adults,” said Mr. Ahmed. Counselors have been appointed to help out in this regard. The administration has also circulated a number where the youth can call to inform about any drug victim. The caller’s identity is kept a secret. “After getting any information, the administration works to help the victim with de-addiction. They first start counseling the victim, and if needed, then get them admitted in a de-addiction cell. Till now, more than 100 people got helped because of such calls,” Mr. Ahmed said, adding that the district administration is committed to provide every facility to the youth to channelize their energy towards a positive direction to keep them away from drug abuse and other social evils.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Amit-Mohan
25th Central Zonal Council Meeting: Mohan Yadav to Join CMs at Meet in Varanasi, Chaired by Amit Shah
Amit Shah
From Red Terror to Development: Amit Shah Unveils Vision & Interacts with Security Forces in Chhattisgarh, Reaffirms Goal to Eradicate Naxalism by March 2026
ITI Limited
ITI Ltd Concludes Rs200 Crore Land Deal with C-DOT, Receives Final Rs25 Crore Payment
Cochin Shipyard
Hooghly Cochin Shipyard (H-CSL) Signs Contract with Antara River Cruises for 2 Luxury Vessels on Brahmaputra - Details Inside
Indian Bureaucracy News Latest
IAS Officer Aravind Kumar and IFS Officer Anjan Kumar Mohanty Repatriated to Home Cadres - Check Full Details
Indian Bureaucracy News Latest
Key Bureaucratic Moves: Dr. Pallavi Jain Govil Gets Additional Labour Charge; Rahul Raichur Appointed PS to Minister Pralhad Joshi
Bihar Government-resized-IM
Bihar Govt Doubles Honorarium for Jeevika Workers, Cuts Interest Rates on Loans for SHGs Ahead of Polls - Details Inside
BHajan Lal Sharma
Rajasthan: 21 IAS Officers Given Addl Charges Amid Transfer of 62 Officers; Abhay Kumar Gets IGCB Chair - Check Full List Here
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
Retired Officers Lead 7-Day Mission to Revive Betwa River with 55 Check Dams | Video Interview
Inderjit Singh Interview Plane Crash
What ill-fated pilots of AI171 may have gone through in those 40 seconds before the crash? Intro:
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s 27-Year Odyssey with Indian Railways | Exclusive Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Social Media
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Amit-Mohan
25th Central Zonal Council Meeting: Mohan Yadav to Join CMs at Meet in Varanasi, Chaired by Amit Shah
Amit Shah
From Red Terror to Development: Amit Shah Unveils Vision & Interacts with Security Forces in Chhattisgarh, Reaffirms Goal to Eradicate Naxalism by March 2026
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
Inderjit Singh Interview Plane Crash
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT