Srinagar, May 3: School children on Sunday urged parents not to let their wards remain idle at home, advocating that keeping them engaged in sports can keep them away from the menace of drug abuse.
The students warned that inactivity can push young minds towards negative influences, including substance abuse.
The young voices came forward during the launch of the ‘Major Campaign Against Drug Abuse and Narco-Terrorism’ in Srinagar, led by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. Students and athletes from across the Valley participated in the campaign and also took part in a two-kilometre Padyatra led by the LG.
Besides other departments, students and athletes from schools and colleges across the Valley joined the campaign.
Students and staff from Government Girls Higher Secondary School were also among the participants in the initiative launched by the J&K LG.
The young students and athletes advocated for greater participation of youth in sports and outdoor activities, saying that constructive engagement was the key to keeping youth away from the growing menace of substance abuse.
“I urge parents to engage their kids in sports and allow them to showcase their talent. Keeping their wards at home will drive them towards substance abuse,” said a young athlete from Handwara.
She further added: “Engaging kids in sports is the best way to keep them away from drugs. The kids should be enrolled in nearby Khelo India centres and get trained there.”
A student from Amar Singh College, Srinagar, stressed that society must fight the drug menace collectively, warning that individual efforts alone will not bring the desired results. “We all should collectively fight against the drug menace. Our youngsters are slowly falling prey to it. We have to collectively fight against it and save our present and future generations from the ill effects of this menace,” she said.
Student Muntazi Nazir appreciated the J&K LG Manoj Sinha for his 100-day campaign against drug abuse, cautioning that drugs offer only temporary happiness while robbing a person of peace for a lifetime.
“We all should fight against this menace. Our kids are talented and I urge parents to engage their wards in sports, which is the only way to keep them away from this menace,” she said.
Participants in the Padyatra also invoked the teachings of Islam, noting that drugs have already been declared haram. “Islam does not allow this at all. And this is the same step that LG Manoj Sinha has taken today. So all Muslims, and people from other religions, must stand together on this step to eradicate substance abuse from society,” a student said.
Acknowledging the scale of the problem, another participant said: “As you are aware, in the present time, youth in every corner and every periphery of Kashmir have got involved in drugs.”
The students urged people from all walks of life to remain united and on the same page to eradicate the menace from society. Cutting across political lines, one student said: “Our political ideologies can be different, but as I am witnessing today, people from all walks of life are on the same page against drug abuse and drug trafficking. This is a common concern for us. Our future is at stake, and J&K LG has taken a pious and massive initiative in this regard.”
