Assembly Speaker U T Khader, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao, DK MP Capt Brijesh Chowta walk along with the students of affiliated colleges of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences as a part of massive walkathon, held in Mangaluru on Saturday.
Mangaluru: Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), in collaboration with the Dakshina Kannada District RGUHS Affiliated Colleges Management Association, organised a walkathon in Mangaluru on Saturday to spread awareness on the ill effects of drug addiction and the importance of organ donation.
The walkathon was part of the “Nasha Mukt Bharat and Anga Daan – Jeevan Sanjeevani Abhiyan.”
Flagging off the event at Mangala Stadium, Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Dakshina Kannada District in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao called upon all state-run universities, including Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), to effectively implement the Nasha Mukt Bharat and Anga Daan – Jeevan Sanjeevani Abhiyan to spread the message widely in society.
He said student life is a crucial stage, where many are vulnerable to substance and alcohol addiction due to peer influence. “Addiction destroys lives and derails ambitions. Nasha Mukt Bharat and Nasha Mukth Karnataka aim to ensure that students do not fall prey to substances. Once trapped, it is not only the individual but also the family that suffers,” he said. He urged students to report instances of substance abuse among peers so that the affected individuals can be rehabilitated and given a better future.
Stating that Karnataka ranks third in the country in organ donation, the Minister said organ donation saves lives.
Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker U T Khader said organ donation is a humanitarian initiative and that Nasha Mukth Bharat will contribute to the country’s progress. “All students who participated in the walkathon should become ambassadors of both the Nasha Mukt Bharat and Anga Daan – Jeevan Sanjeevani Abhiyan,” he added.
Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta lauded RGUHS for the initiative and said society as a whole must participate. “Viksit Bharat is possible through Nasha Mukt and Sashakt Bharat,” he said.
RGUHS Vice-Chancellor Dr Bhagavan BC said the university aims to make students responsible, accountable, and healthy through the campaign. “We have initiated drug-free, tobacco-free, and alcohol-free campus programmes across RGUHS institutions. Task force committees comprising teachers, parents, and representatives of police are being constituted in each college to keep campuses free from the drug menace. Seminars and workshops will be organised across all affiliated colleges, and video clippings on the ill effects of drug abuse will be screened,” he said.
He added that about 20–30% of the student population in the country has fallen prey to substance and alcohol abuse. While only four lakh people have pledged organ donation, the country requires two to three lakh organ transplants every year.
MLA Dr Y Bharath, MLC Manjunath Bhandari, Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy CH, and other dignitaries were present.