Chandigarh, October 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Punjab Government has launched SANGAT Mental Health Clubs in 40 colleges across the state to strengthen mental health awareness, encourage early intervention and help prevent substance abuse among young people under its flagship ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ campaign.
Led by the Department of Higher Education in partnership with the Aditya Birla Education Trust (ABET), the initiative aims to create supportive campus environments where students can recognise emotional distress, seek appropriate assistance and discuss mental health concerns without stigma.
Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia interacted with club participants during the launch at Plaksha University in Mohali. The discussions highlighted the role of educational institutions, families and peer networks in reducing stigma, encouraging help-seeking and addressing substance abuse.
Bains described SANGAT as an important step towards empowering young people to address mental health challenges and substance abuse through awareness, peer support and collective action.
“Even Arjuna, one of the greatest warriors, faced mental and emotional challenges despite having Lord Krishna by his side. This reminds us that young people, too, need the right guidance and mentors. Taking drugs is not a matter of pride; helping someone find their way back from the wrong company is. SANGAT is designed by the youth, for the youth, to encourage peer support, promote mental wellbeing and help young people make healthier choices,” he said.
Neerja Birla, founder and chairperson of the Aditya Birla Education Trust and Mpower, stressed the need for sustained preventive interventions to address emotional distress, mental health concerns and substance use among young people.
“The challenges faced by youngsters today extend beyond substance abuse. Growing concerns around emotional wellbeing and mental health make early intervention more important than ever. At Mpower, through our work with COPE, we have seen how emotional distress, untreated mental health concerns and substance use can intersect, underscoring the need for sustained, preventive interventions,” she said.
Commending the Punjab Government’s collaborative approach, Birla said bringing together government departments, civil society organisations, educators, healthcare professionals and community leaders could help build a sustainable support system covering prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration.
She said such collaborative models had the potential to make a lasting difference to the lives of Punjab’s youth and their families.
Actor Aparshakti Khurana also highlighted the importance of creating supportive spaces where young people can speak openly about their struggles and seek help without fear of judgement.
“We often tell young people to be strong, but strength also means being able to speak honestly about what you are going through and ask for help when you need it. The pressures young people face are not always visible, making it important for friends, families and educational institutions to create spaces where they feel heard rather than judged,” he said.
Recalling his grandmother’s advice, Khurana added, “No matter how many challenges keep coming up, my dadi (grandmother) used to say, ‘Achi sangat bohot zaruri hai.’ Initiatives such as SANGAT can encourage young people to look out for one another and make mental health a more open conversation.”
Under the programme, 25 students from each participating college will receive 14 hours of Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) training and certification. The training will equip them to recognise signs of emotional distress, provide initial peer support and guide fellow students towards professional assistance when needed.
The clubs will organise campus-level activities to promote mental wellbeing, encourage open discussions about emotional challenges and discourage substance use. Through peer-led engagement and links to professional support, the initiative aims to identify concerns early and foster a campus culture where seeking help is encouraged rather than stigmatised.
The programme is being implemented through Mpower, a subsidiary of ABET, under its COPE (Counselling and Outreach for Peer Empowerment) framework.
The launch event also featured Nikhil Taneja, co-founder and chief of Yuvaa, and Punjabi comedian Manpreet Singh, popularly known as The Comic Singh. They joined conversations and activities centred on youth wellbeing and the importance of creating spaces where young people feel heard, understood and supported.
Education officials, nodal professors from participating colleges, SANGAT student members and representatives of ABET attended the programme.
By placing mental wellbeing at the centre of its preventive strategy, SANGAT seeks to empower students to support their peers, strengthen early intervention and build more supportive college campuses. The initiative forms part of the Punjab Government’s broader efforts under ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ to tackle substance abuse through prevention, awareness and collective responsibility.
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