Bhubaneswar, 18 August (H.S.): In a significant step towards creating a drug-free society and raising awareness about the harmful effects of substance abuse, the Odisha Police organised a collective anti-drug pledge across the state on Tuesday.

The pledge-taking ceremony was held at the Odisha Police Headquarters in Cuttack, as well as at all police stations and district police offices across the state's 35 police districts, under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.

At the Police Headquarters, senior police officers and personnel collectively pledged to protect themselves, their families and society from the harmful effects of drugs and other intoxicating substances.

As part of the pledge, police personnel committed themselves to staying away from substance abuse and spreading awareness among their friends, family members and members of the wider community about the adverse consequences of drug use.

They also resolved to play an active role in the efforts to make Odisha a drug-free state.

The campaign places particular emphasis on the role of young people in building a healthy and drug-free society. Through awareness initiatives under the campaign, efforts are being made to spread the message of drug prevention and encourage greater participation of youth across Odisha.

The police administration reaffirmed its commitment to building a healthy, safe and drug-free Odisha, while stressing the importance of collective action and public awareness in combating substance abuse.

The pledge-taking programme at the Odisha Police Headquarters was attended by Director General of Police Binaytosh Mishra, Additional DGP (Modernisation) Soumendra Priyadarshi, Additional DGP (Headquarters) Prateek Mohanty, IGP (Personnel) Praveen Kumar, IGP (Central Range) Satyajit Nayak, DIG (Provisioning) Charan Singh Meena and DIG (Personnel) Jugal Kishore Bonth, among other senior police officers and personnel.

The collective initiative across the state underlines the Odisha Police's commitment to strengthening public awareness and community participation in the fight against substance abuse.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda