Srinagar, Nov 12 (PTI) Drug abuse is a grave issue that the country is faced with but it is being addressed with the support of all concerned quarters, Union minister Virendra Singh said on Friday. He was here to preside over an award ceremony of ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ held at SKICC. The event was held to felicitate individuals and officials for their contributions towards making the country drug-free. It was organised by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Department of Social Welfare. Singh said the cooperation of common people is of paramount importance and the dream of a drug-free India cannot be achieved by a single ministry or department alone. He congratulated all stakeholders associated with the mission and said that the 10 districts of Jammu and Kashmir selected under the campaign have shown “very good and promising results” so far. The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment said drug abuse is a grave issue that the country is faced with and asserted that with the support of all concerned quarters the problem is being addressed. Drug abuse is a problem that affects not only individuals but entire families and the society at large, he said, and thanked all those who are putting in their efforts to bring people, especially youth out of the menace. Joint Secretary, MoSJE, Radhika Chakravarty earlier gave a brief overview of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan. She said there was no official data about substance abuse available in the country before 2019 and it was then that the government decided to carry out a survey to understand the gravity of the problem. She said over six crore people are involved in substance abuse in the country and out of them, more than 1.2 crore are children under the age of 18. Chakravarty said these disturbing figures led to the launch of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan by the MoSJE. Addressing the gathering through video conferencing, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said with the support of the Centre, Jammu and Kashmir has been able to make considerable progress towards making Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan a success. He thanked all stakeholders for their efforts towards ensuring a drug-free society. The categories in which the awards were presented include Rehabilitated Youth, Volunteers, NGOs, Colleges, Schools, Master Volunteers, District Social Welfare Officers and Deputy Commissioners, an official statement said. PTI SSB MIJ AQS AQS AQS