Madurai District Collector Nishant Krishna spearheaded a mass pledge-taking event for a “Drug-Free Tamil Nadu” here on Wednesday. In a major State-level mobilisation against substance abuse, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Tuesday presided over a mass pledge-taking event for a “Drug-Free Tamil Nadu” at Presidency College in Chennai. During the ceremony, the Chief Minister officially initiated the “Drug and Tobacco-Free Campus” campaign across schools and colleges Statewide. Complementing police action, approximately 17,000 anti-drug clubs operate across Tamil Nadu schools and colleges, supported by a dedicated ₹ 7 crore budgetary allocation for student-level activities. The public can report tips confidentially through the “Drug-Free Tamil Nadu” mobile application or the dedicated ‘10581’ helpline.