Mandi nursing college to survey 298 govt schools for dist-wide anti-drug campaign

Acting on the directions of Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan, Sampati Devi Memorial Nursing College, Bijni (Mandi), has taken a major step towards strengthening the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan by volunteering to conduct a comprehensive district-level awareness

survey on drug abuse among school students.

The initiative aims to reach all 298 government senior secondary schools in the district, making it one of the largest student-centred anti-drug awareness exercises in the region. The survey focuses on assessing students’ knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices related to drug misuse, ensuring that awareness begins at the foundational level.

The programme was formally launched by the institution’s leadership, including chairman Dr Chandershekhar Sharma, managing director Sunita Sharma and principal Bandna, along with the entire faculty. They collectively emphasised the importance of empowering youth with the correct information to build a drug-free society.

Addressing the gathering, the chairman highlighted that educational institutions played a crucial role in shaping responsible citizens. He encouraged students to participate sincerely in the survey and to adopt healthy habits that shielded them from harmful influences.

Under the campaign, the faculty and nursing students of the college will conduct a variety of awareness activities across schools. These include health education sessions on the dangers of drug abuse, self-structured questionnaires to assess awareness and risk perception, anti-drug awareness talks by trained faculty and students, interactive activities, MCQ-based assessments, counselling sessions and informative discussions, distribution of awareness pamphlets and signature campaign and public pledges against drugs.

The initiative not only aims to collect data for preventive strategies but also seeks to instill confidence and discipline among students.