Drug abuse: Colleges told to conduct blood test on 10 per cent students

If a student tests positive, identity will be kept confidential; info to be shared with nodal officer

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Udupi

IN order to make Udupi a drug-free district, every college here has been told to conduct random blood tests on 10 per cent of the students every three months, Udupi SP Hariram Shankar said.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, the SP informed that if a student tests positive for drug use, the information will be shared with the nodal officer. The student's identity will be kept confidential. They will be referred for counselling to help them reform. Prior to conducting tests, colleges will obtain consent from students.

The District Health Officer (DHO) will ensure skilled medical staff are available at designated locations for the tests, which will be managed entirely by college administrations, with police assistance if required. Police will not directly involve in the process of testing the students, the SP said.

A total of 166 colleges in Udupi district, including 120 pre-university and 46 professional institutions have now formed Anti-Drug and Awareness Committees (ADACs), functioning under the leadership of Udupi DC Swaroopa T K.

The SP further said the ADAC initiative, formally launched on July 24 at the Bannanje Shri Narayana Guru Sabha Bhavana in collaboration with the Udupi District Police, aims to curb both the demand and supply of drugs, particularly in Manipal and Udupi, where thousands of students study. "We always nab the culprits who supply drugs to students to spoil their lives. We want to look at bringing down the demand curve," he said.