New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) Vice-President (V-P) C.P. Radhakrishnan, on Tuesday, inaugurated the Drug Free Campus Campaign at the Delhi University (DU), calling for efforts to make the drive an integral part of all Central higher educational institutions.

The Vice-President called upon the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to ensure that sustained and collective efforts are made to protect the youth from substance abuse and to realise the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' and 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'.

He said that the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, reflects a holistic vision by emphasising mental health, life skills and student well-being.

He added that initiatives such as the Drug Free Campus Campaign resonate with the spirit of the NEP by creating safe, inclusive and nurturing learning environments.

Commending the varsity for integrating awareness programmes, counselling mechanisms, student-led initiatives and stakeholder collaboration, the Vice-President said that when students become ambassadors of change, the impact extends beyond campuses to families and communities.

He urged students to remain vigilant, support peers in distress, speak up against substance abuse and lead by example.

Highlighting that India is a youthful nation, the Vice-President described substance abuse as not merely a personal problem but a serious social challenge, public health concern and a threat to the country's demographic dividend.

Emphasising that strong nations require strong leadership, V-P Radhakrishnan said universities are not merely centres of academic learning but institutions where values are shaped, leadership is nurtured and the future of the nation is forged.

He added that when a premier institution like the DU takes a firm stand against substance abuse, it sends a powerful message to society at large.

The Vice-President also launched a dedicated e-pledge platform (https://pledge.du.ac.in/home) and mobile application under the 'Nasha Mukt Parisar Abhiyaan', and urged students from universities across the country to actively participate and take the pledge for a drug-free campus.

He noted that drug abuse adversely affects physical and mental health, academic performance, family harmony, productivity and national security, including its links with narco-terrorism.

The Vice-President said the vision of a developed and self-reliant India can be realised only when the youth remain healthy, drug-free and purpose-driven.

A drug-free youth, he added, is better equipped to acquire skills, promote entrepreneurship and contribute meaningfully to economic growth and national development.

--IANS

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