Mera Bharat‑NSS Drug‑Free Youth Campaign Celebrates ‘Village Service and Traditional Games Day’ Across Villages in Its Sixth Week

Under the Youth Programme and Sports Ministry, the ‘MY Bharat’ National Service Scheme (NSS) organised a ‘Village Service and Traditional Games Day’ as part of the sixth week of the ‘Drug‑Free Youth for a Developed India 100‑Week Resolution Campaign’. The event extends the campaign from educational institutions to rural communities.

Implemented by the NSS Directorate and 15 regional NSS directorates, the initiative was carried out in over 160 institutions and the villages they have adopted. More than 80,000 participants, including youth, gram‑panchayat members, rural elders and local residents, took part. The activities were organised under the month’s theme ‘Healthy Youth, Drug‑Free Youth (Power and Service)’ and highlighted physical fitness, community participation and social responsibility for promoting a drug‑free society.

NSS units organised local tournaments in traditional games such as kabaddi, kho‑kho, tug‑of‑war and wrestling. Over 21,500 participants joined, fostering healthy recreation, teamwork and positive engagement among rural youth.

Under the Village Service programme, NSS volunteers and gram‑panchayats jointly conducted community service activities, including lane cleaning, sanitation around public wells and hand‑pumps, and tree‑planting drives. More than 19,800 participants took part, reflecting the NSS motto ‘Not me, you’ through collective effort for rural development.

In addition, community‑awareness programmes on healthy lifestyles, youth‑led dialogues and the drug‑free drive attracted over 18,600 people. The initiative also recorded participation of more than 29,500 young women in sports and community‑service activities, underscoring strong gender‑inclusivity emphasis.

To broaden the campaign’s reach, youth participants created over 4,000 social‑media posts using the #NashaMuktYuva hashtag, spreading information about the grassroots activities to a wider audience.

By combining traditional games, community service and awareness activities, the sixth week of the campaign strengthened ties between educational institutions and rural communities. The effort reaffirmed the importance of collective participation in promoting a healthy lifestyle, positive youth engagement and the vision of a drug‑free, developed India.