Drug-free Karnataka by 2028: Mysuru youth urged to join campaign

Published 27 July 2026 · politics

Urban Development Minister and Mysuru district in-charge Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Monday said that eliminating the menace of drug abuse requires the active participation of the

Urban Development Minister and Mysuru district in-charge Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Monday said that eliminating the menace of drug abuse requires the active participation of the youth and cannot be achieved by the government and police alone. Speaking after inaugurating the anti-drug awareness programme jointly organised by Mysuru City Police and the NSS unit of Teresian College, he said the nation’s future rests with its youth, and India can progress only if young people are physically and mentally strong. Observing that drug abuse has spread beyond urban centres into rural areas, the Minister said the State government and the police have launched several initiatives and are taking stringent measures to curb the menace, with the goal of making Karnataka a ‘drug-free’ State.

He stressed the need to conduct regular anti-drug awareness campaigns in schools and colleges and urged citizens to report the sale or use of narcotic substances through the police helpline. Instead of treating addicts as criminals, he said, the government plans to establish free rehabilitation centres to provide counselling and medical treatment. Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait warned that substance abuse can lead to depression, mental illness and premature death, and added that addiction not only destroys individuals but also devastates families, causes financial distress, increases crime and weakens the nation’s progress.

Mysuru City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar said the police had launched the ‘RISE’ and ‘BEDA BRO’ awareness campaigns as part of the State government’s ambitious target of making Karnataka drug-free by 2028. She said Mysuru police have been working continuously over the past year to eradicate drug abuse in the district. She said the campaign primarily targets students, as many begin experimenting with drugs out of curiosity, only to become addicted over time. To tackle the problem, anti-drug committees have been made mandatory in colleges, and such committees have already been constituted across educational institutions, she added.

Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy, Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baladandi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Harsha Priyamvada, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) K.S. Sundar Raj, Teresian College Director Rev. Dr Sr. Prapulla and Teresian Educational Institutions Manager Rev. Sr. Anjali were present.