Govt won't allow drug mafia to make Karnataka 'another Punjab': G Parameshwara

Bengaluru: Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday said that the state government will not allow the drug mafia to make Karnataka ‘another
Punjab’.

Speaking at the launch of a campaign organised by the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) to make college campuses and Karnataka drug-free, Parameshwara said, “We aim to make Karnataka a drug-free state. People’s cooperation is very important to achieve that goal.”

Appreciating the efforts being made by the university, the minister said that college campuses must be drug-free to build a drug-free
state.

“The campaign by RGUHS is an important one. The state government will support it completely,” Parameshwara added.

He directed the university to instruct all affiliated colleges to constitute anti-drug committees.

“There are over 1,500 colleges under RGUHS. If any college fails to constitute an anti-drug committee, then measures should be taken to withdraw their affiliation,” the minister
said. 

He said foreign students are responsible for drugs reaching the state. “The government has kept an eye on foreign students and their activities,” he
stated. 

He revealed that soon advertisements and awareness about drugs and narcotics will be displayed on the government buses.

‘More organ retrieval centres’

Speaking at the event, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the government is seriously considering increasing the number of organ retrieval centres at the government hospitals. 

Vice Chancellor Dr Bhagawan B C requested the government to establish the organ retrieval centres at all government medical college hospitals and also to strengthen those already established.