Multiple Rotary Clubs have joined hands to organise a pan India car tour to spread awareness for addiction prevention and mental health. Vimukti Yatra by Rotary Mumbai and Rotary Mandvi districts will travel for around 10,000 km taking the awareness drive through 17 states of India.

The Rotary Club of Addiction Prevention 3141, Rotary Club of Mumbai Mulund East, and Rotary Club of Mandvi Kutch have planned ‘Vimukti Yatra’, a pan India car tour for advocacy of freedom from addiction and path to mental wellness. This initiative seeks to empower individuals to make informed choices and offer hope to those affected. 

The de-addiction drive will focus on four verticals of addiction including alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and digital addiction. The initiative cited that about 12.5% of Indians suffer from alcohol use disorder, 27.2 million people suffer from drug use disorder and 18.1% of people aged 12 or older consume tobacco products. However, the campaign also advocates preventing digital addiction, which encompasses excessive use of smartphones, social media, and gaming.

The objective of this rally is to generate awareness about the dangers of substance abuse by focusing on educational institutions, community outreach, capacity building and counseling and treatment.

The yatra will begin on January 26 to celebrate Republic Day and will end on February 23 to commemorate Rotary Day. It will travel for approximately 10,000km across 26 Rotary districts spread across 17 Indian states. The first leg of the route will cover the area from mumbai to Kanyakumari, continued till Kolkata in the second leg, followed to Atal Tunnel in Manali in the third leg and will end at Mumbai after covering Amritsar and Kutch in Gujarat.

“Addiction is a growing challenge that impacts individuals, families, and communities worldwide. Our Awareness Drive aims to shed light on the realities of addiction, break the stigma surrounding it, and provide resources for prevention and recovery by fostering open conversations, educating about the causes and consequences of addiction, and highlighting the importance of support systems,” said a member associated with a Rotary Club.