New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to lead more than 12 crore citizens, through both physical and online mode, in taking a National Mass Pledge Against Drug Abuse on August 18 to mark the sixth anniversary of the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ (NMBA), an official said on Friday.

The nationwide mass pledge will be organised by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and a strategy meeting to ensure the participation of the target number of citizens was discussed at a coordination meeting here, a statement said.

Joint Secretary (Drug Prevention) Sandeep Rewaji Rathod chaired the coordination meeting with representatives from various Ministries and departments to finalise the implementation strategy.

The meeting discussed the plan and the comprehensive strategy to ensure the participation of the target number of citizens in nationwide pledge through physical and online mode in line with the objectives of NMBA.

The meeting discussed the role of Line Ministries and Departments in mobilising officers, officials, students, parents, volunteers and other stakeholders for the nationwide pledge.

Rathod also discussed organising pledge ceremonies across all affiliated offices, educational institutions, autonomous bodies, PSUs and field formations under respective Ministries and Departments, including Railway, Defence, Police, Central armed Police Force, AYUSH, Rural Development, Revenue, besides social, voluntary, spiritual organisations and social influencers.

The nomination of nodal officers for coordination with the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment and Uniform Reporting Mechanism for submission of participation details and outreach, was also discussed in the meeting.

A power point presentation on the plan and coordinated strategy, was discussed threadbare which witnessed active deliberations by all the representatives from the Line Departments and the Ministries, the statement added.

The NMBA Pledge is an initiative to volunteer for reaching out to the victims of drug addiction.

The pledge aims to encourage responsible behaviour to instil a sense of responsibility among people to stay away from drugs, to promote and foster sense of unity and commitment for encouraging stakeholders to work together towards a common goal.

The pledge also seeks to empower youth to contribute actively to developing a drug-free society, the statement said.

–IANS

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