CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay who led a major state-level mass anti-drug pledge and campaign at city college here on Tuesday passionately appealed to people, especially students to take concerted steps to eliminate drug menace in the state.

He administered a pledge on the occasion, focusing on personal responsibility, family protection, rehabilitation support, and state growth.

The pledge commits individuals to avoid drug use, guide others away from addiction, support rehabilitation efforts, and actively aid the government in eliminating illegal substances in Tamil Nadu.

A large number of people undertook e-pledge through the Drug-Free Tamil Nadu portal, an official said.

It may be noted that the state government had established a specialised Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) wing with district-level branches.

Also, the government had introduced "Drug-Free Tamil Nadu App" allowing both students and teachers to anonymously report illicit drug activities in the vicinity.

Youth volunteer groups have been trained to secure school environments and run localised peer-to-peer anti-drug campaigns.