Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan: 100-week campaign kicks off Sept 18 across 300 locations
Synopsis
India's most operationally extensive government-led anti-drug campaign gets underway on 18 September, with 300 NSS-linked locations hosting pledge ceremonies on day one and 485 MY Bharat units joining on 20 September. Initiated by PM Modi in August, the 100-week Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan has already logged over 1 crore pledges — and the structured field phase is only just beginning.
Key Takeaways
The Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan formally launches on 18 September 2026 with the Rashtriya Sankalp Samaroh at 300 locations across India.
The campaign was initiated by PM Narendra Modi on 2 August 2026 and has already recorded over 1 crore pledges and 2.5 crore viewership from 30,200+ locations .
The first Sunday of the 100-week campaign — 20 September — will activate 485 MY Bharat units .
A structured 12-week calendar (September–December 2026) covers three thematic phases with health camps, marathons, yoga, and skills workshops.
Projected coverage: approximately 2,500 NSS events and 3,235 MY Bharat unit-level activities during the 12-week window.
The campaign is built on four pillars: Prevent, Protect, Recover and Lead .
The Department of Youth Affairs, under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, will formally launch the Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan on 18 September 2026 with a nationwide Rashtriya Sankalp Samaroh, marking the opening of a 100-week drive to build a drug-free youth ecosystem in support of Viksit Bharat. The campaign, executed through Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) and the National Service Scheme (NSS), will commence with collective youth pledge and signature events at 300 identified locations across states and Union Territories.
Origins and Scale of the Campaign
The Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan was formally initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2 August 2026 through a virtual address to spiritual organisations, industry associations, NGOs, and university networks. Since its inception, the initiative has reportedly recorded participation from more than 30,200 locations, with over 2.5 crore viewership and more than 1 crore pledges collected — figures that underscore the campaign's early momentum ahead of its structured field phase.
Four Pillars and the Opening Week
The Abhiyan is structured around four thematic pillars: Prevent, Protect, Recover and Lead. The Rashtriya Sankalp Samaroh on 18 September will feature thematic street plays, slogan-writing competitions, and youth-led discussions, providing young participants with platforms to publicly reaffirm their commitment to an addiction-free India.
The first Sunday of the 100-week cycle — 20 September 2026 — will see activities spread across 485 MY Bharat units, including MY Bharat District Offices and Youth Hostels. Participating institutions span colleges, universities, and NSS-affiliated bodies across states including Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Maharashtra and Kerala.
12-Week Structured Activity Calendar
Following the launch, a structured 12-week activity calendar running from September to December 2026 will guide implementation through three thematic phases: 'My Health, My Pride', 'Fit Youth, Addiction-Free Youth' and 'Life Skills Month'. Planned activities include health check-up and BMI camps, meditation and wellness sessions, health walks and runs, Yuva Melas, yoga, traditional sports, mini marathons, cyclothons, sports leagues, decision-making workshops, and youth-led role plays and street plays.
Under the NSS component, activities will be held on Fridays and Saturdays at 200 locations per week for the remaining 11 weeks, bringing projected NSS coverage to approximately 2,500 events during the 12-week window. MY Bharat will simultaneously run weekly activities across its units, with the implementation plan targeting 3,235 MY Bharat unit-level activities over the same period.
Why This Matters
India faces a significant youth substance-use challenge, with surveys repeatedly flagging rising drug and alcohol use among adolescents and college-going populations, particularly in northern and north-eastern states. This campaign represents one of the most operationally dense government-led anti-drug mobilisations in recent years, combining institutional outreach through NSS — which has a presence in thousands of colleges — with the newer MY Bharat volunteer network. Notably, the scale of the pledge-and-signature format is designed to build community accountability alongside state-led enforcement efforts.
What Comes Next
With the formal launch events on 18 September and the first dedicated Sunday on 20 September, the campaign's early weeks will test the coordination capacity of NSS Regional Directorates and MY Bharat District Offices simultaneously. The 100-week timeline extends well into 2028, making it one of the longer-horizon youth engagement programmes undertaken by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in recent memory.
Point of View
Hundreds of locations, millions of pledges — but pledge counts have historically been a poor proxy for behavioural change in India's social campaigns. The real test will come in the mid-term review: whether youth substance-use indicators in high-burden districts shift, not whether signature tallies rise. Routing the campaign through NSS and MY Bharat gives it institutional depth that standalone awareness drives lack, but the 12-week activity calendar also reveals a heavy focus on events over sustained counselling and recovery infrastructure. That gap, if unaddressed, risks making this another well-intentioned mobilisation whose impact fades when the calendar ends.
NationPress
17 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan?
The Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan is a 100-week government-led campaign to build a drug-free youth population in India, structured around four pillars — Prevent, Protect, Recover and Lead. It is implemented by the Department of Youth Affairs through Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) and the National Service Scheme (NSS), and was launched by PM Narendra Modi on 2 August 2026.
When and where does the Rashtriya Sankalp Samaroh take place?
The Rashtriya Sankalp Samaroh is scheduled for 18 September 2026 across 300 identified locations nationwide, organised by NSS through its Regional Directorates. Participating institutions span colleges and universities in states including Gujarat, Karnataka, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and others.
How many pledges has the campaign collected so far?
Since PM Modi's virtual launch on 2 August 2026, the campaign has reportedly received over 1 crore pledges, 2.5 crore viewership, and participation from more than 30,200 locations — figures cited by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
What activities are planned under the 12-week calendar?
The 12-week structured calendar (September to December 2026) covers three thematic phases: 'My Health, My Pride', 'Fit Youth, Addiction-Free Youth', and 'Life Skills Month'. Activities include health and BMI camps, yoga, meditation, mini marathons, cyclothons, sports leagues, street plays, and decision-making workshops.
How many events are projected under NSS and MY Bharat during the campaign period?
Under the NSS component, approximately 2,500 events are projected across 200 locations per week for 11 weeks, held on Fridays and Saturdays. MY Bharat is simultaneously targeting 3,235 unit-level activities during the same 12-week window.
