LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a statewide anti-drug campaign in government and private universities and colleges, with measures including checks on parcels delivered to students, regular inspections of hostels and canteens, and a daily anti-drug pledge.
The campaign was announced on Friday, a day after Governor Anandiben Patel raised concerns over the alleged presence of narcotic substances on educational campuses during her visit to Gorakhpur.
The campaign will also focus on identifying students showing signs of substance abuse and prohibiting the sale of intoxicants within 500 metres of educational institutions.
Patel, while addressing students at the convocation of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, had said drugs and other narcotics were prevalent on the campuses of almost every university she had visited. She said educational institutions should be centres of character building rather than drug and addiction centres.
“In almost every university, I found narcotic substances thrown outside hostels. I have all the photographs. Is it a drug-free India?” she claimed.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Higher Education Minister Yogendra Upadhyay and attended by registrars and controllers of examinations of state universities. A detailed action plan was also finalised to implement the Centre’s Nasha Mukt Bharat campaign across universities and colleges in the state.
Students showing signs of substance abuse will be counselled and, where necessary, their parents will be involved in the rehabilitation process, a senior state government official said.
Under the campaign, all government and private universities and colleges will begin each working day with a two-minute anti-drug pledge. Teachers will also devote the last 10 minutes of one class every week to discussions on drug abuse and the importance of a drug-free life.
The campaign will include awareness programmes, ‘Run for Nasha Mukti’ events, marathons, rallies, essay and speech competitions, painting contests, plays and street theatre. Educational visits to cultural and spiritual sites will also be encouraged to promote positive values, officials said.
The Higher Education Department has divided the state into five zones, each headed by a senior nodal officer, to supervise the campaign. Universities and colleges will also appoint nodal officers to oversee its implementation.