<p>Bengaluru: Intent on ridding Karnataka of the drug menace, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) will write to the Union Ministry for Information and Broadcasting (I&B) to feature advertisements or videos warning audiences of the perils of drug addiction at cinema halls.</p>.<p>RGUHS Vice-Chancellor Dr Bhagavan B C stressed the need to raise awareness about drug addiction among youngsters.</p>.<p>Pointing to awareness advertisements warning people about the ill-effects of tobacco addiction that precede screening of movies at cinema halls, Dr Bhagavan said, “We will write to the Union Ministry seeking addition of similar videos on narcotic substances as well.”</p>.<p>RGUHS has already made a similar request to the Karnataka Transport Department, seeking advertising space at bus and Metro stations to educate people about drug-related problems.</p>.<p>“Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy was receptive to our ideas, and we will soon submit a final proposal on the subject,” said the RGUHS VC.</p>.<p>RGUHS has constituted a task force to check use of narcotic substances among students at medical and nursing colleges. The task force comprises cops, teachers and student representatives. “The task force is required to submit a report once every three months. Starting this year, colleges must declare that their campuses are drug-free during affiliation,” said Dr Bhagavan. Nearly 20-30% of students across the country were addicted to drugs, said the RGUHS VC citing various reports.</p>.RGUHS puts plan to introduce AI in evaluation on hold over accuracy concerns.<p>“Our university has launched the ‘Nasha Mukth’ campaign to check use of drugs. Our students have even made videos to raise awareness about the drug menace, and we’ll ask each college to show these videos to students at least twice a week,” said Dr Bhagavan.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">‘Student’s death impelled me to fight’</p>.<p>Dr Bhagavan recalled the agonising episode of a student’s death from drug addiction during his stint as a principal of a private medical college. “Despite our best efforts to wean him off drugs, he succumbed to addiction and the impact it had on his family, the pain they suffered and ultimately, the way he died, cannot be expressed. I decided then that I would fight the problem of drug addiction among students,” he said.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Intent on ridding Karnataka of the drug menace, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) will write to the Union Ministry for Information and Broadcasting (I&B) to feature advertisements or videos warning audiences of the perils of drug addiction at cinema halls.</p>.<p>RGUHS Vice-Chancellor Dr Bhagavan B C stressed the need to raise awareness about drug addiction among youngsters.</p>.<p>Pointing to awareness advertisements warning people about the ill-effects of tobacco addiction that precede screening of movies at cinema halls, Dr Bhagavan said, “We will write to the Union Ministry seeking addition of similar videos on narcotic substances as well.”</p>.<p>RGUHS has already made a similar request to the Karnataka Transport Department, seeking advertising space at bus and Metro stations to educate people about drug-related problems.</p>.<p>“Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy was receptive to our ideas, and we will soon submit a final proposal on the subject,” said the RGUHS VC.</p>.<p>RGUHS has constituted a task force to check use of narcotic substances among students at medical and nursing colleges. The task force comprises cops, teachers and student representatives. “The task force is required to submit a report once every three months. Starting this year, colleges must declare that their campuses are drug-free during affiliation,” said Dr Bhagavan. Nearly 20-30% of students across the country were addicted to drugs, said the RGUHS VC citing various reports.</p>.RGUHS puts plan to introduce AI in evaluation on hold over accuracy concerns.<p>“Our university has launched the ‘Nasha Mukth’ campaign to check use of drugs. Our students have even made videos to raise awareness about the drug menace, and we’ll ask each college to show these videos to students at least twice a week,” said Dr Bhagavan.</p>.<p class="CrossHead">‘Student’s death impelled me to fight’</p>.<p>Dr Bhagavan recalled the agonising episode of a student’s death from drug addiction during his stint as a principal of a private medical college. “Despite our best efforts to wean him off drugs, he succumbed to addiction and the impact it had on his family, the pain they suffered and ultimately, the way he died, cannot be expressed. I decided then that I would fight the problem of drug addiction among students,” he said.</p>
