In line with the central government’s vision for a ‘Drug-Free India’, the UP Excise Department along with the Narcotics Control Bureau launched an online e-pledge campaign to sensitize school children on the adverse effects of drugs.
On the morning of 11 August, all schools and colleges across the state took an oath to fight off the urge to do drugs in their morning assemblies, and later e-signed on a government website that they took the pledge to stay drug-free all their life. Once they signed, they received a certificate, which they could frame and keep with them forever.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Senior IAS officer Sanjay Bhoosreddy, who is the Additional Chief Secretary in the Excise Department of UP, shared details about the campaign.
TOWARDS DRUG-FREE INDIA
The week-long celebrations for the completion of India’s 75 years of Independence, which began on 11th August, brought around the biggest Anti-Drug campaign that the country has seen – ‘Say Yes to Life and No to Drugs’, to curb the menace of drugs among youngsters and make India drug-free.
Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, drugs recognized as marijuana, hash, party drugs, etc., are now also being consumed by young school and college children.
To curb this, the UP government has been carrying out the basic procedures of confiscating the substances, penalizing the addicts, etc. However, this doesn’t seem enough when it comes to protecting young people.
“At times, the user is also the victim. Their will to just ‘try it once’ takes them into a downward spiral, making it extremely difficult for them to come back onto the track. A single dosage is enough to get you addicted to it. Looking at the increase in drug usage by younger kids, we decided to catch them young and keep them on the right track from the beginning, while they are still in school, and make them understand the importance of the campaign,” Mr. Bhoosreddy told Indian Masterminds.
E-PLEDGE
So, on the morning of 11 August, on the initiative of the state Excise Department, all the schools and colleges across the state took an oath together to fight off the urge to do illegal substances and stay drug-free in life, in their morning assemblies. Several officers of the department visited different schools and encouraged the students to take the oath, in the presence of the principal and teachers.
Once the pledge was taken, the students were asked to visit a website that the officials provided them with, wherein they had to e-sign that they took the pledge to stay drug-free. Once they signed, they received a certificate, which they could get framed and keep with them forever. Further, they were also asked to stay more aware and become responsible citizens of the country and share any information that they receive of people or their classmates taking drugs and inform the police.
“Today, the usage of illegal substances, including chemical drugs, has risen. The rave parties and other such events contribute to it. Rape and party drugs are mixed in the drinks of women, unknowingly, which leads to dangerous situations. Both girls and boys are getting involved in the intake of drugs. In fact, the ratio of girls using drugs is higher than boys now. Hence, it is very important that we sensitize our kids and make them understand the harmful consequences of drugs,” he said.
Since children nowadays have access to any place and any number and can’t be monitored 24×7, they are more vulnerable to succumbing to peer pressure to do drugs. Therefore, it becomes extremely important to motivate them against its usage so that they understand the need to avoid it.
Taking help from the state education department, the officer and his team were able to conduct the oath-taking ceremony in thousands of schools in 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh, covering over 75 lakh students and sensitizing them all about the evil effects of drugs.
