Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that to effectively implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Drug-Free India’ (Nashamik Bharat), it is necessary for everyone to make a collective commitment to make ‘Drug-Free Mumbai,’ ‘Drug-Free Maharashtra,’ and ‘Drug-Free India.’ He stressed that the war on drugs is not just a law and order issue but is linked to the future of the nation, for which collective efforts are indispensable.

The ‘Drug-Free Mumbai’ campaign was launched by Chief Minister Fadnavis in Worli today. Mangal Prabhat Lodha (Minister of Development, Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation, and Chairman of the High-Level Committee for Anti-Drug Awareness Campaign), Ashwini Bhide (BMC Commissioner), Devin Bharti (Mumbai Police Commissioner), Rubel Agarwal (Mumbai Commissioner), Sub-Commissioner Katraban (Mumbai Commissioner) and others were also present on the occasion. District), Aanchal Goyal (Collector, Mumbai City District), Prachi Jambhikar (Deputy Commissioner – Education, BMC), Sapna Shroff (non-official member of the committee) along with representatives of various NGOs, councilors, medical experts, students and a large number of citizens participated. Chief Minister Fadnavis said that India is making rapid progress in the fields of science, technology, artificial intelligence, space research and defense. In such a situation, a conspiracy is being hatched to weaken India from within by trapping the youth of the country in the clutches of drugs. Drugs are the most dangerous weapon in this secret war and every citizen should consider the fight against them as his own personal war. To create a drug-free society, coordinated efforts are needed between the police, health, social justice and school education departments as well as parents, teachers, students and all sections of society. Strict action will be taken against those involved in the manufacture, trafficking and sale of drugs. Fadnavis stressed that drug peddling gangs, especially around schools and colleges, will be completely eradicated. Stating that if students take a firm resolve to “say no to drugs”, no one will be able to lure them towards addiction, Fadnavis said the government will make every effort to achieve the goal of ‘drug-free Mumbai’ in the next two to four years. He termed students as the eyes and ears of the society and urged them to provide information about people who are inclined towards addiction and those involved in the drug trade. He announced that letters regarding the matter would be sent to the headmasters of all schools in the state and the principals of all colleges, and assured that the government would extend full support in effectively implementing the concepts of ‘drug-free campuses’ and ‘drug-free schools’. The Chief Minister also announced that the identity of those providing information about drugs will be kept confidential and those providing useful information will be rewarded. Focusing on the rehabilitation of addicted youth and bringing them into the mainstream, Chief Minister Fadnavis noted that if the youth stay away from drugs till the age of 21 or 22, they have a better chance of remaining drug-free throughout their lives. He therefore urged the youth to firmly reject drugs and not succumb to any temptation.

Quoting the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, Fadnavis said that the power of youth should prove to be a life-giving force for nation-building instead of a destructive force for society. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Bharat Ratna Dr. urged everyone to translate the pledge of ‘Drug-Free Mumbai’ – Inspired by Babasaheb Ambedkar, he administered an oath to the people present to create a drug-free society. Two thousand students from Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) schools attended the event held at ‘The Dome’ in Worli and took a pledge for a drug-free life. Moreover, students from BMC schools participated in the programme through audio-visual link. BMC students presented dance performances and street plays at the venue.

Let’s turn ‘Drug-Free Mumbai’ campaign into a people’s movement Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha
Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha asserted that ‘Drug-Free Mumbai’ is not just a government campaign but a vast people’s movement driven by active social participation. He said that the campaign will continue till Mumbai is completely drug-free and appealed to every citizen to participate in the campaign as a social responsibility. Stressing that the society should actively engage with the government to thwart conspiracies to lure the youth into the clutches of drugs, Minister Lodha announced that public awareness campaigns, counselling sessions, and anti-drug measures would be implemented in schools, colleges and various educational institutions. He urged parents, teachers, NGOs and every section of the society to take the initiative for a safe future for children. The Central and State Governments are implementing various measures for the all-round development of the youth, he mentioned that the ‘CM Mahadhan’ skill development scheme is set to be launched on August 15.

Mumbai: Police has exposed a gang that was confirming tickets from the VIP quota in Mumbai. The Malabar Hill Police received a complaint from the railway administration that a fake letter of recommendation letter was prepared in the name of the Lok Bhawan office, stamped and signed on it, and it was being used to confirm railway tickets and black marketing of tickets was being done from the VIP quota. The police investigated and registered a case and after verifying the fake letter of recommendation and other documents, 6 accused involved in this racket were arrested. They have been identified as Amrish Ishwar Lal Thakkar, 41, Tariq Mahfuz Khan, 33, Deepak Kumar Kanhaiya Lal Yadav, 27, Vinayak Vikram Singh Raut, 24, Sagar Ishwar Lal Thakkar, 32, and Mithunjay Kumar Yadav, 34. 12 mobile phones, a laptop, 16 SIM cards, 70 credit debit cards, a database of more than 400 VIP railway bookings, five Aadhaar cards, 2 rubber stamps, 1000 rupees The stamps have been recovered. This operation was carried out by DCP Ragasudha on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti. Further investigation is underway in this matter.

Mumbai: Andheri MIDC police station has claimed to have busted a gang that was stealing electric motorcycles and scooty. The police have arrested two members of this gang and have exposed a gang that was stealing scooty and motorcycles in Mumbai city. They have also recovered electric motorcycles stolen from the city and suburbs from their possession, which means that 11 motorcycles have been recovered. On July 20, at 12 noon, the motorcycle of the complainant Vaibhav Gupta was stolen. On his complaint, the police registered a case and started investigation and examined 40 to 50 CCTV footage. One accused was identified in the CCTV footage, after which he was taken into custody and later he revealed that there was another accused with him. After that, the police have arrested both the accused. They have been identified as Mohsin Akbar Shaikh, 25, a resident of Jogeshwari, and Arafat Hafiz Shaikh, 22, a resident of Kurla Kapadia Nagar. The accused had committed thefts in Mumbai Center, Chandivali, Charni Road, Dadar, Vakola, Andheri Worli and several other places. 11 motorcycles were recovered from their possession, while two cases have been registered against them in MIDC and two motorcycles have also been recovered. The remaining 9 motorcycles are in other cases. This operation was carried out by DCP Dutta Nalawade on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti.