Not only students, lecturers also to submit anti-drug declaration in Odisha

By Nalini Sahu

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 9: All educational institutions in Odisha will now be drug-free. Not only students, lecturers will also be required to submit anti-drug declarations.

Odisha Assembly Standing Committee has made such a recommendation to the state government, informed committee chairman Bhupinder Singh on Tuesday. “We have suggested to the Odisha government to ensure that students will submit undertakings of anti-drug declaration before taking admissions in educational institutions. We have urged the state to implement the same norm for the lecturers as well in the state,” said Singh.

The Committee has recommended implementation of such provision for the lecturers of Plus 2, Plus 3 and Universities. “Our objective is to keep educational campuses free from any substance use and the rule should be applicable to students and lecturers as well,” Singh added.

Drug addiction is a major challenge in many higher educational institutions with numerous cases of youngsters getting addicted to substance abuse. Recently, the University Grants Commission had written to educational institutions to implement the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) of the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment (MoSlE).

The UGC had asked the authorities to take action at the Institutional level to sensitise the campus and other possible surrounding locations through their faculty, volunteers and student clubs through regular interventions and activities on substance use prevention.