D K Shivakumar flags off anti-drug march

School and college students participated in an awareness march against drug abuse on Monday. The rally started from the Vidhana Soudha and culminated at the Kanteerava stadium. Credit: DH Photo/S K Dinesh

Thousands of students marched from Vidhana Soudha to Kanteerava stadium on Monday to observe International Day against Drug Abuse.

The Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, along with the National Service Scheme (NSS) cell and Karnataka Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi, organised the march to raise awareness about the harmful effects of addictive drugs, particularly tobacco.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar flagged off the event at Vidhana Soudha. He praised the participants for their involvement in an "iconic national and international social cause" and advised students, whom he referred to as the pride and wealth of the country, to steer clear of drugs and keep a watchful eye on their peers to prevent drug abuse.

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Youth Empowerment and Sports Minister B Nagendra urged students to use the department's toll-free helpline to report any instances of drug use among their peers and to treat them with kindness instead of isolating them.

Present at the event were Dr Shalini Rajneesh, Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports; Wooday P Krishna, President of Karnataka Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi; and Dr Vishal Rao, a surgical oncologist.

The crowd took a pledge to combat drug addiction before marching towards Kanteerava Stadium on Dr Ambedkar Road around 9.55 am.

The march caused a 10-minute standstill in traffic outside Vidhana Soudha, resulting in congestion from GPO Circle to KR Circle. Traffic resumed afterwards but remained slow for another 10 minutes.