Chirag Paswan backs Nasha Mukt Yuva drive under Viksit Bharat
Synopsis
Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan on August 2, 2026 endorsed the Nasha Mukt Yuva movement as part of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan, calling a drug-free youth essential for the individual, the family, society, and the nation's development goals.
Key Takeaways
Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan publicly backed the Nasha Mukt Yuva movement on August 2, 2026 .
He framed the campaign as serving the individual, family, society, and the nation — directly linking it to Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan .
The Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan was originally launched in 2020 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to address youth substance abuse.
The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan was launched in November 2023 to saturate central welfare scheme delivery ahead of the Viksit Bharat 2047 goal.
Paswan's endorsement represents cross-portfolio ministerial support, amplifying the campaign beyond its nodal departments.
A campaign for the individual, the family, the society — and above all, for the nation. That is how Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan framed the Nasha Mukt Yuva movement on Sunday, August 2, 2026, lending his voice to one of the central government's most high-profile youth welfare drives.
Speaking in Hindi, Paswan said: 'आज हम सभी जिस अभियान के साक्षी बन रहे हैं, वह अभियान व्यक्ति के लिए है, परिवार के लिए है, समाज के लिए भी है और सबसे बड़ी बात है ये राष्ट्र के लिए है' — 'The campaign we are all witnessing today is for the individual, for the family, for society, and most importantly, for the nation.' He added that the name of the movement itself makes its resolve clear: a drug-free youth for the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan.
Where Nasha Mukt Bharat meets Viksit Bharat 2047
The two programmes Paswan is linking have distinct but complementary origins. The Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan was launched in 2020 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to combat substance abuse among Indian youth, targeting districts with the highest vulnerability. The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan, launched in November 2023, is a nationwide outreach drive designed to achieve saturation coverage of central welfare schemes and build momentum for the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision — the government's long-horizon goal of a developed India by the centenary of Independence. By invoking both in the same breath, Paswan is doing something deliberate: placing youth health not as a standalone social-sector concern but as load-bearing infrastructure for national development. No drug-free youth, the logic runs, no developed nation.Cross-portfolio signalling on a welfare campaign
Paswan's ministry — Food Processing Industries — sits outside the direct remit of either programme. His public endorsement is therefore a signal of cross-portfolio solidarity, the kind of ministerial amplification that central campaigns rely on to build momentum beyond their nodal departments. As president of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), his voice also carries weight with the NDA's Bihar-centred voter base, a demographic that state-level saturation drives under Viksit Bharat have actively targeted. The broader pattern here is well established: successive governments have used multi-ministry abhiyans to bundle health, awareness and scheme-delivery themes under a single national narrative, maximising both reach and political visibility. Paswan's post fits that template precisely. Watch for state-level updates on Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan saturation drives and any fresh guidelines formally linking youth de-addiction goals to the programme's delivery metrics. The campaign has a name and a minister's endorsement — the numbers will tell the rest of the story.Point of View
Expanding reach and reinforcing the Viksit Bharat 2047 brand. By tethering anti-drug messaging to a development vision, the government is also reframing youth health as an economic prerequisite, not merely a social concern. For Paswan personally, the endorsement reinforces his positioning as a welfare-forward minister with a constituency — Bihar's youth — that both the LJP (Ram Vilas) and the broader NDA coalition are keen to retain. The move is low-risk and high-visibility: exactly the kind of signal a junior coalition partner sends when it wants to be seen inside the tent on a flagship national campaign.
NationPress
2 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Nasha Mukt Yuva movement?
Nasha Mukt Yuva is an anti-drug campaign for Indian youth linked to the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan, building on the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan launched in 2020 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
What did Chirag Paswan say about the Nasha Mukt Yuva campaign?
Chirag Paswan said the campaign is for the individual, the family, society, and most importantly for the nation, and that its very name makes its resolve clear — a drug-free youth for Viksit Bharat.
What is the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan?
The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan is a nationwide government outreach programme launched in November 2023 to ensure saturation coverage of central welfare schemes and build momentum for the Viksit Bharat 2047 development vision.
When was the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan launched?
The Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan was launched in 2020 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to address substance abuse among Indian youth, focusing on the most vulnerable districts.
Why is the Food Processing Minister involved in an anti-drug campaign?
Chirag Paswan's endorsement reflects cross-portfolio ministerial support — a common practice in central government campaigns where ministers outside the nodal ministry amplify initiatives to broaden reach and signal coalition-wide backing.
