{"id":5105,"date":"2025-08-10T01:06:54","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T19:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=5105"},"modified":"2025-08-10T21:27:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T15:57:02","slug":"police-universities-celebrities-unite-against-narcotics-in-karnatakas-new-awareness-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=5105","title":{"rendered":"Police, Universities & Celebrities Unite Against Narcotics in Karnataka\u2019s New Awareness Push"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“Say No, Live More”: Karnataka Launches Statewide Anti-Drug Campaign Targeting Youth<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Initiative Aims to Educate Students Through Real Stories, Celebrity Endorsements, and Digital Outreach<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Bengaluru, August 8, 2025<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 In response to rising drug abuse cases among Karnataka\u2019s youth, the state police, in collaboration with Manipal Foundation and MAYA Films, launched\u00a0Drug Free Karnataka<\/em>, a statewide awareness campaign aimed at schools and colleges. The initiative, unveiled at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) Bengaluru campus, combines real-life testimonies, celebrity endorsements, and a year-long digital push to combat narcotics use.<\/p>\n

With over 6,000 reported cases in 2023 and numbers climbing in subsequent years, authorities are adopting a multi-pronged strategy\u2014enforcement, education, and community engagement\u2014to tackle the crisis.<\/p>\n

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A Collaborative Effort Against Drug Abuse<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The campaign brings together law enforcement, healthcare experts, and educational institutions to address drug abuse as both a public health and societal issue.<\/p>\n

Dr. Pronab Mohanty, IPS, Director General of Police (Cyber Command, Narcotics), emphasized the need for collective action:\u00a0\u201cThis initiative moves beyond reactive policing to proactive societal engagement. Drug abuse doesn\u2019t just harm individuals\u2014it devastates families and communities. We must focus on prevention, rehabilitation, and shared responsibility.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ms. Savitha Srinivas, IPS, Superintendent of Police (Narcotics and Organised Crime Division), highlighted alarming trends:\u00a0\u201cWith cases rising sharply, we\u2019re deploying a dual approach\u2014physical outreach in campuses and a sustained social media campaign. Soon, every educational institution will have anti-drug committees to reinforce preventive measures.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Powerful Storytelling and Celebrity Advocacy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A key component of the campaign is a hard-hitting\u00a017-minute documentary<\/strong>\u00a0featuring real-life accounts of addiction and recovery. The film aims to humanize the consequences of drug abuse while offering hope through rehabilitation stories.<\/p>\n

Adding star power to the cause, cricket legends\u00a0Anil Kumble<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Javagal Srinath<\/strong>\u00a0have endorsed the initiative, lending credibility and broadening its appeal among young audiences. Their involvement, alongside testimonials from healthcare professionals and senior officials, strengthens the campaign\u2019s outreach.<\/p>\n

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Education as a Tool for Change<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Academic institutions like MAHE Bengaluru are playing a pivotal role in fostering awareness.<\/p>\n

Prof. (Dr.) Madhu Veeraraghavan, Pro Vice-Chancellor of MAHE Bengaluru, stated:\u00a0\u201cEducation is our strongest weapon against social evils like drug abuse. By hosting this campaign, we reinforce our commitment to student well-being and community health. Partnerships like these create lasting impact.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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A Year-Long Digital Push<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To sustain momentum, the campaign will leverage social media with targeted content, training programs for student volunteers (“narco-warriors”), and mandatory institutional committees. The initiative also has backing from\u00a0NIMHANS<\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0Karnataka Health Department<\/strong>, ensuring a science-backed approach to prevention and rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

With enforcement, education, and empathy at its core,\u00a0Drug Free Karnataka<\/em>\u00a0marks a critical step in protecting the state\u2019s youth from the scourge of narcotics\u2014one story, one school, and one click at a time.<\/p>\n

Media Updates: +91-93531 21474 [WhatsApp]\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Key Takeaways:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
    \n
  • \n

    Statewide campaign<\/strong>\u00a0targets students through schools and colleges.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Real-life documentary<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0celebrity endorsements<\/strong>\u00a0amplify impact.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Social media drive<\/strong>\u00a0ensures year-round engagement.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    New mandates<\/strong>\u00a0will require anti-drug committees in all educational institutions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Collaboration between police, health experts, and educators<\/strong>\u00a0strengthens preventive measures.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    By blending enforcement with awareness, Karnataka aims to curb drug abuse before it takes root\u2014empowering its youth to\u00a0Say No<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Live More<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n
    \n

    Key Quotes:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

    Dr. Pronab Mohanty, IPS (DGP, Cyber & Narcotics):<\/strong>
    \n“Drug abuse isn\u2019t just an individual problem\u2014it destroys families and communities. We need prevention, not just punishment.”<\/em><\/p>\n

    Ms. Savitha Srinivas, IPS (SP, Narcotics):<\/strong>
    \n*”With over 6,000 cases in 2023, we\u2019re taking the fight to campuses and social media. Every institution will soon have anti-drug committees.”*<\/p>\n

    Prof. Madhu Veeraraghavan (MAHE Bengaluru):<\/strong>
    \n“Education is our strongest weapon. This campaign aligns with our mission to build safe, healthy futures for students.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

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    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    “Say No, Live More”: Karnataka Launches Statewide Anti-Drug Campaign Targeting Youth Initiative Aims to Educate Students Through Real Stories, Celebrity Endorsements, and Digital Outreach Bengaluru, August 8, 2025\u00a0\u2013 In response to rising drug abuse cases among Karnataka\u2019s youth, the state police, in collaboration with Manipal Foundation and MAYA Films, launched\u00a0Drug Free Karnataka, a statewide awareness […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[1176,73,1177,74,1178],"class_list":["post-5105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-karnataka","tag-anti-drug-campaign","tag-bengaluru","tag-cyber-command","tag-karnataka","tag-narcotics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5105"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5124,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5105\/revisions\/5124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}