President urges youths to build social movement against drugs

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday urged the young generation and social and voluntary organisations to raise awareness against drugs and build a strong social movement to combat drug abuse.

He made the call when a 38-member delegation of Ahwan, a social and cultural organisation of talented young students and professionals from Thakurgaon, led by its convener Lukman Sharif and member secretary Dr Tahmid Ahmed, met him at Bangabhaban.

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 the development of education, culture, knowledge, science and humanitarian values must be ensured to make a locality prosperous.

He said social and voluntary organisations can play an important role in bringing positive change to society and promoting people’s welfare.

The president praised various social, cultural and voluntary initiatives undertaken by Ahwan, including the Thakurgaon School-based Science Fest, a football tournament involving people with disabilities, medical camps, winter clothing distribution and a Gen-Z carnival.

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He urged young people to play a more active role in the overall development of Thakurgaon.

The president said youths and professionals could make important contributions to developing the district’s economy and agriculture, supporting poor and marginalised people and talented but underprivileged students, addressing social problems including drug abuse, and making government services more accessible to the people.

He also urged the younger generation to continue practising democratic values and healthy cultural activities in their personal, social and organisational lives.

During the meeting, Ahwan members described the president as a source of inspiration for the younger generation and thanked him for his role in the development and welfare of Thakurgaon.

They pledged to work from their respective positions to build a beautiful, humane, enlightened and prosperous Bangladesh and sought the president’s guidance and support for the organisation’s activities.

The president assured them of his overall cooperation and wished all the members well.

The president’s secretaries and senior officials were present during the meeting.