SHILLONG, JUN 22: Students of PM SHRI Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Mukhla, spent a day learning how small daily choices can shape a healthier future, as the Central Bureau of Communication, Shillong, organised an awareness programme combining Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan and Swachh Bharat Mission.
The session at the school brought together Principal Neeraj Kumar, Thadlaskein Block Programme Assistant Hun-i-ka Tang, faculty, CBC Shillong officials and students for conversations on substance abuse prevention and environmental responsibility.
Speakers explained NMBA as the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment’s flagship campaign against drug addiction, focusing on awareness and community participation.
Students heard how substance abuse affects physical health, mental well-being, studies, families and society at large. The discussion turned interactive as students asked questions and shared their own views on building healthy habits and saying no to drugs.
Hun-i-ka Tang then spoke on Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen and its focus on sustaining Open Defecation Free status through better sanitation and waste management.
She walked students through practical steps like waste segregation, plastic management, safe disposal and the Four Rs — Reduce, Refuse, Reuse, Recycle. Examples of composting and kitchen gardening showed how biodegradable waste can be turned into resources instead of trash.
To move from talk to action, students joined a campus cleanliness drive, picking up litter and organising waste as part of their pledge to keep the school clean.
A drawing competition on “drug-free society” and “cleanliness” let them express those ideas visually, while a quiz on NMBA and SBM tested what they had learned.
Winners received certificates and prizes for their entries and participation.
Principal Neeraj Kumar and CBC officials said the goal was to encourage students to make informed choices, reject substance abuse, and take ownership of cleanliness and conservation. With students now sharing these messages in their hostels and homes, the programme aimed to extend the impact beyond the school gates.
