President urges youths to build anti-drug social movement

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday urged young people and social and voluntary organisations to raise awareness and build a strong social movement against drug abuse.
He made the call when a 38-member delegation of Ahwan, a Thakurgaon-based social and cultural organisation of young students and professionals, met him at Bangabhaban. The delegation was led by convener Lukman Sharif and member secretary Dr Tahmid Ahmed.
The President said the country’s desired progress would be hampered if the younger generation could not be protected from the devastating effects of drugs.
“Many young people are losing their promising lives to drugs, while families and society are also being affected,” he said, stressing the need for an effective social movement involving people from all walks of life to eliminate drug abuse.
Mirza Fakhrul said people in a region must be awakened, and education, culture, knowledge, science and humanitarian values developed, to make a locality prosperous. Social and voluntary organisations, he added, can bring positive change and promote people’s welfare.
The President praised Ahwan’s initiatives, including the Thakurgaon School-based Science Fest, a football tournament involving people with disabilities, medical camps, winter clothing distribution and a Gen-Z carnival.
He urged young people to play a more active role in Thakurgaon’s development by contributing to the district’s economy and agriculture, supporting poor and marginalised people and talented but underprivileged students, tackling social problems including drug abuse, and making government services more accessible. 
He also urged them to continue practising democratic values and healthy cultural activities in their personal, social and organisational lives.
Ahwan members described the President as an inspiration for the younger generation and thanked him for his role in Thakurgaon’s development and welfare. They pledged to work to build a beautiful, humane, enlightened and prosperous Bangladesh and sought his guidance and support. The President assured them of his overall cooperation. His secretaries and senior officials were present.