ലഹരിമുക്ത ഭാരതം: 2029-ഓടെ രാജ്യം ലഹരിവിമുക്തമാക്കുമെന്ന് പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ച് കേന്ദ്ര ആഭ്യന്തര മന്ത്രി അമിത് ഷാ

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday called for a nationwide campaign to eliminate drug abuse by December 31, 2029, describing a drug-free India as essential to building the developed nation envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Today, on the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, I appeal to the people across the nation regarding the goal we have set: to make the country completely free from drugs by December 31, 2029," Shah said.

He described the creation of a 'Nasha-mukt Bharat' (drug-free India) as the starting point for achieving the vision of 'Viksit Bharat'.

"The vision of a 'Viksit Bharat', as envisioned by the Prime Minister, begins with the creation of a 'Nasha-mukt Bharat'," he said.

Shah also placed the proposed anti-drug campaign alongside major decisions taken during the Modi government's tenure, including the abrogation of Article 370, the elimination of Naxalism and the introduction of a unified indirect tax regime.

"While many such significant tasks have been accomplished, the creation of a drug-free India will stand out as the most consequential achievement, one that is vital for the youth and the future of our nation," he said.

The home minister's remarks came during the National Unity Day celebrations, which commemorate Patel's contribution to India's political integration following Independence.

Paying tribute to the country's first deputy prime minister, Shah said Patel had achieved the unification of India in just 1,218 days after Independence, overcoming predictions by international political observers that the country would eventually fragment.

"At the time we attained independence, political pundits across the globe predicted that India would fall apart. Yet, in the 1,218 days following independence, Sardar Patel accomplished what everyone had deemed impossible," Shah said.

He added that Patel had achieved in just over three years what even a group of leaders might have struggled to accomplish in their lifetimes.

"The India envisioned and built by Sardar Patel now stands before the world with pride," he said.

Shah also highlighted Patel's role in integrating the princely states, saying his contribution extended beyond political consolidation to shaping India's geographical and cultural identity.

"He was a great personality who not only transformed the nation's history but also shaped its very geography," Shah said.

Describing Patel as the architect of the map of an 'Akhand Bharat', the home minister said he had brought together numerous princely states and bound them into a unified political entity.

Earlier on Saturday, President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, Shah and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri paid floral tributes to Patel on his birth anniversary.

Shah also flagged off the 'Run for Unity' at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi as part of the National Unity Day observances.

October 31 is observed annually as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas to commemorate Patel's contribution to national integration. The observance was instituted in 2014, following the formation of the Modi government.

Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Valley of Flowers near the Statue of Unity at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat during his two-day visit to the state. He also witnessed a theatrical presentation of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's iconic work 'Anand Math'.

The 24-acre Valley of Flowers has been developed as a biodiversity conservation and eco-tourism attraction. It features around 14 lakh plants belonging to 112 species, according to the information shared about the project.