Hyderabad, April 5 Expressing concern over the rising drug abuse among educated youth, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said on Sunday that society must reflect on why young people are straying away from sports.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 74th BN Mullick Memorial All India Police Football Championship 2026 at Gachibowli Stadium here, Reddy stressed the need for collective responsibility in guiding youth towards constructive pursuits.
He warned that the increasing drug menace and cyber crimes posed the biggest challenge before the police.
The Chief Minister emphasized that the responsibility of curbing emerging crimes lies with the police force. "The nature of crime has now undergone a transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a double-edged sword."
Reddy further said that the government is working to steer youth towards sports and away from drug use and pub culture.
"Unfortunately, some bright students are falling prey to drugs. The youth are drifting away from sports. Abandoning the playing fields is the biggest mistake committed by the youth," he said.
Raising concern over drug addiction among youth in Punjab, which once provided valiant freedom fighters for India's independence, he said, "Telangana will not turn into another Punjab."
Recalling the contributions of Hyderabad football players during the 1950s and 60s, Reddy said popular football player Lionel Messi was invited to Hyderabad and provided an opportunity to the sport aspirants, mainly from SC and ST communities, to play with Messi.
Referring to India's performance in the Olympic games, he said, "With a population of 1.4 billion, India failed to win even a single gold medal. South Korea, with just 40 million population, secured over 30 medals."
Aspiring to win medals in the next Olympics, Reddy said his government was establishing the Young India Sports University.
This university was being set up through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, he said, adding that prominent sports persons and industrialists were already appointed on the governing board.