Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday called for addiction to be uprooted from Odisha, launching the Commissionerate Police awareness campaign Jeevan Jindabad 2.0 and tying the appeal to a concrete freeze on new liquor outlets.
Addressing students, youth and senior officers at the Railway Auditorium in Bhubaneswar, CM Majhi said addiction does not ruin only the person who uses it; it wrecks families and the wider society. He reiterated that the state government is operating a zero-tolerance policy and inaugurated a dedicated Commissionerate Police website linked to the Nashamukta Bharat (addiction-free India) effort.
He described human life as a precious gift and argued that the real measure of living is the willingness to face setbacks and keep moving. Last year’s Jeevan Jindabad campaign, he said, had already shown results in checking suicidal tendencies. Version 2.0 widens the aim: draw young people away from substances and toward education, sport and creative work.
The programme featured performances by established artists, including pieces titled Jibana Jindabad and Nashamukta Yuvasamaj Vikashita Bharat, and an awareness play, Bhuta Manishara Nishaku Na. Majhi praised the shows and urged the audience to take from them the practical lesson of how to live.
He voiced sharp concern that intoxication now sits behind a large share of serious crime and violence against women. Citing national figures, he said alcohol alone is linked to roughly 260,000 to 280,000 deaths in India each year. Odisha’s second-place ranking in deaths from drunk driving, he added, is deeply worrying. Beyond alcohol, he directed police and the excise administration to step up proactive action against high-risk drugs, including cannabis, opium, cocaine, heroin, brown sugar and synthetic substances.
Majhi listed measures already in force. Under the new excise policy effective from 1 April, no new liquor shop will open for the next three years. Local administrations have been made accountable for illicit and poisonous liquor. Production and sale of tobacco- and nicotine-based pan masala and gutka have been fully banned, and school and college campuses have been declared addiction-free zones. He said the Odisha government is committed to the deadline set by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to make India entirely free of addiction by the end of 2029.
He asked parents to treat sudden changes in a child’s behaviour as red flags. At the same time, he noted a hopeful shift: some young people are already choosing to spend money on protein and energy drinks rather than on substances. The messages he asked to be carried into every village and town were “No to addiction, yes to life” and “Life is beautiful, don’t destroy it.”
Director General of Police Vinaytosh Mishra, Police Commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh, other senior officers, distinguished guests, and a large number of students and young people attended the launch.
