Chandigarh rolls out SoP to declare college campuses drug-free

Education secretary Prerna Puri highlighted that 17 “Victory against Drug Abuse” (VADA) clubs were set up across colleges in Chandigarh to raise awareness about the dangers of drug use.

UT chief secretary Rajeev Verma on Thursday launched the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and a checklist for declaring higher education campuses drug-free.

Chandigarh chief secretary Rajeev Verma launching the Standard Operating Procedures on Thursday. (HT Photo)

The event, held at the New UT Secretariat, was attended by key officials, including education secretary Prerna Puri; social welfare, women and child development secretary Anuradha S Chagti; higher education director Rubinderjit Singh Brar and social welfare, women and child development director Pallika Arora.

Prerna Puri highlighted that 17 “Victory against Drug Abuse” (VADA) clubs were set up across colleges in Chandigarh to raise awareness about the dangers of drug use. These clubs support the national “Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan” initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment in 2020. The checklist created by a committee will be submitted biannually to monitor drug abuse prevention efforts.

Verma emphasised the need for similar SOPs for schools, and greater collaboration between schools and colleges to prevent drug abuse early. He also suggested regular surprise visits to college hostels to ensure SOPs were applied consistently.