NSS holds block-level sports events across India: 87,481 people join 992 activities

What happened

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, through MY Bharat Directorate - National Service Scheme (NSS), organised block-level sports competitions across the country. These were held in the ninth week of the ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva Sankalp Abhiyan for Viksit Bharat’ campaign. It was the third month of the campaign, and the theme was ‘Sashakt Samuday, Swasth Yuva’ (strong community, healthy youth).

The aim was to build discipline, team spirit and a drug-free lifestyle among young people through sports. To do this, student volunteers from nearby villages, blocks and colleges, local youth clubs and community members were brought onto one platform.

How many joined

A total of 992 activities were held across the country. These saw 87,481 participants, including student volunteers, members of local youth clubs and community members who came to watch the competitions. The figures come from regional reports of 10 regional directorates: Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow and Thiruvananthapuram. More than 130 institutions fall under these directorates.

The campaign also laid special stress on gender inclusion. As many as 42,190 women participants joined the sports competitions and awareness activities.

Which sports were held

According to the reports, events included 100 m and 400 m races, marathons, kabaddi, kho-kho, volleyball, football and basketball. Traditional games such as tug of war, rumal jhapatta and lemon race were also organised. In Lakshadweep, participants took part in traditional island games held under the Thiruvananthapuram regional directorate.

Every competition began with a collective ‘Nasha Mukt Sankalp’ (drug-free pledge). Players, referees, coaches and spectators pledged to uphold sportsmanship and fair play and to adopt a drug-free lifestyle.

Awareness against drugs

Awareness activities were linked with the sports events. Health awareness centres were set up in key clusters in Bhopal, Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi. These centres distributed information, education and communication (IEC) material on mental health and shared details of the National Narcotics Helpline 14446.

Nukkad nataks (street plays), anti-drug rallies and slogan-writing competitions were also held. These aimed to raise awareness about substance abuse, peer pressure and ways to recover from addiction. Local administration and experts supported the effort. Senior police officers and narcotics cell officials from Bathinda, Kasaragod and Coimbatore, psychiatrists, de-addiction experts and panchayat sarpanches took part.

What the campaign is

The ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat’ campaign was launched on 2 August 2026 under the wider Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan. It is a 100-week campaign. Its aim is to encourage young people to stay away from drugs, alcohol, tobacco and other intoxicants and to build a drug-free, healthy society.