Shimla: To channelise youth energy towards sports and strengthen its campaign against drug abuse, the Himachal Pradesh govt has approved ‘Khelo Himachal–Chitta Mukt Abhiyan, 2026’. The campaign will be rolled out across the state from Dec 2026 to March 2027.Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said sports could play a significant role in building discipline, confidence, leadership and teamwork among youngsters. He said the campaign would provide a constructive platform to engage youth while strengthening the fight against chitta (heroin) and other drugs.The initiative will cover all 12 districts and 83 sub-divisions of the state, targeting youngsters in the 15-30 age group. Separate competitions will be organised for men and women in eight disciplines — cricket, volleyball, kabaddi, badminton, athletics, hockey, wrestling and tug of war.The competitions will follow a three-tier format, beginning at the sub-division level, moving to the district level and culminating in state-level events.The initiative aims to provide rural, remote and tribal youth an opportunity to showcase their sporting talent and compete at higher levels. Players displaying exceptional potential will be considered for specialised coaching, training camps, sports science support and competitive exposure.Participants below 18 years will be covered by appropriate safeguards, including parental consent. The initiative will also integrate anti-drug awareness programmes, interactive sessions and information about counselling and rehabilitation services into sporting events. Mental health and overall well-being of participants will receive special attention.An apex committee headed by the chief minister will provide policy direction, while state, district and sub-division-level committees will oversee implementation. Medical facilities, grievance redressal mechanisms, fair-play safeguards and anti-doping awareness will also form part of the programme.Sukhu said combating drug abuse required collective efforts involving families, educational institutions, sports organisations and communities, and appealed to people to make the campaign a mass movement.
