Chandigarh, Aug 8 : The Haryana government has decided to organise a state-level function in Panchkula on August 13 to mark the fifth anniversary of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA), as part of a comprehensive 31-day campaign.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini will preside over the function.

A mass pledge against drug abuse will also be administered to school and college students at the district level.

This was said on Friday at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi to review the NMBA launched in the state.

Rastogi said the campaign aims to build a mass movement against drug addiction by engaging citizens through pledges, educational activities, and community participation.

The Social Justice, Empowerment, Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes and Antyodaya (SEWA) Department is serving as the nodal agency, steering the campaign at both state and district levels.

The campaign, which began on August 1, involves multiple departments and institutions, including the Narcotics Control Bureau, Youth Affairs, Health, Education, Women and Child Development, Panchayati Raj Institutions, and Urban Local Bodies, to spread awareness at the grassroots, particularly in rural areas.

Additional Chief Secretary of SEWA Department, G. Anupama, told that a wide variety of public engagement activities are being undertaken as part of the campaign.

These include pledge ceremonies, rallies, awareness seminars, 'nukkad nataks' (street plays), flash mobs, walkathons, yoga sessions, and creative competitions such as essay writing, slogan crafting, poster design, and rangoli making.

The campaign focuses on mobilising students in schools and colleges, youth volunteers, government employees, and the public to take part and become active partners in Haryana's fight against drug addiction.

The online pledge can be taken via the official NMBA portal, with QR codes prominently displayed in public places like police stations, educational institutions, bus stands, and places of worship.

Offline participation is being facilitated through printed pledge forms distributed during school assemblies, awareness rallies, and other community events.

/IANS