Rajasthan Governor pushes universities to make adopted villages drug-free
Synopsis
Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagde has tasked state universities with a concrete anti-drug mandate: make every village they have adopted substance-abuse-free. Backed by a 100-week national campaign on the My Bharat Portal, the directive puts higher education institutions at the centre of India's ground-level drug-prevention effort — a significant escalation of their social responsibility role.
Key Takeaways
Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagde directed state university Vice-Chancellors on Wednesday to lead the Nasha Mukt Bharat campaign in their adopted villages.
Universities are instructed to identify narcotics sellers near campuses and coordinate with law enforcement to curb drug trafficking.
A 100-week nationwide campaign will run through the My Bharat Portal , featuring rallies, workshops, and community outreach.
Additional Chief Secretary Kuldeep Ranka outlined specific activities for higher education institutions across Rajasthan .
The initiative is linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's broader vision of a drug-free India.
Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagde on Wednesday directed state universities to take a frontline role in the Nasha Mukt Bharat (Drug-Free India) campaign, specifically targeting the villages they have adopted under outreach programmes. Speaking via video conference from Lok Bhawan in Jaipur, the Governor called for focused interventions in areas with high drug prevalence and urged institutions to turn their adopted villages into substance-abuse-free zones.
Key Directions to Vice-Chancellors
Addressing Vice-Chancellors of state universities, Governor Bagde instructed institutions to identify individuals involved in narcotics sales near educational campuses and to coordinate actively with law enforcement agencies to disrupt drug trafficking networks. He stressed that university officials must make regular field visits to adopted villages, engage local community leaders, and monitor both drug users and suppliers on the ground.
Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education Department, Kuldeep Ranka, who also attended the meeting, outlined the specific activities that universities and higher education institutions across Rajasthan are expected to undertake as part of the initiative.
My Bharat Portal and the 100-Week Campaign
Invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a drug-free nation, Governor Bagde urged universities to maximise student registrations on the My Bharat Portal. He informed Vice-Chancellors that a 100-week nationwide campaign will be conducted through the portal, encompassing rallies, workshops, awareness drives, and community outreach to build a sustained public movement against substance abuse.
Integrating Anti-Drug Goals into Village Development
The Governor emphasised that the goal of a 'drug-free village' must be woven into the broader development agenda that universities pursue in their adopted villages — not treated as a standalone activity. He called for sustained coordination with police to ensure that action against drug abuse translates into measurable outcomes rather than one-off awareness events.
What Comes Next
Universities across Rajasthan are now expected to operationalise these directives, with the 100-week My Bharat Portal campaign providing an institutional framework for tracking progress. The push aligns with a broader national effort to mobilise higher education institutions as agents of social change in rural communities, and its effectiveness will depend on how consistently universities maintain ground-level engagement beyond the initial rollout.
Point of View
Trained personnel, and genuine police coordination, none of which universities are structurally equipped to provide without dedicated support. The 100-week My Bharat Portal campaign offers a tracking mechanism, but portal registrations are a poor proxy for actual reduction in substance abuse. The more telling question is whether this directive will outlast the video conference that produced it, or fade into the long list of well-intentioned institutional mandates that never reached the village lane.
NationPress
29 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagde direct universities to do?
Governor Bagde directed Vice-Chancellors of Rajasthan state universities to actively lead the Nasha Mukt Bharat (Drug-Free India) campaign in villages they have adopted, identify narcotics sellers near campuses, and coordinate with police to curb substance abuse. He also asked them to make regular field visits and engage community leaders.
What is the My Bharat Portal campaign mentioned in the directive?
The My Bharat Portal is a national platform through which a 100-week anti-drug campaign will be conducted, featuring rallies, workshops, awareness drives, and community outreach. Governor Bagde urged universities to maximise student registrations on the portal as part of Prime Minister Modi's Drug-Free India vision.
Who attended the video conference at Lok Bhawan in Jaipur?
The video conference was attended by Vice-Chancellors of state universities and Additional Chief Secretary of the Higher Education Department, Kuldeep Ranka, who outlined the activities expected of universities under the Drug-Free India initiative.
Why are universities being specifically targeted for this anti-drug campaign?
Universities have adopted villages under outreach programmes and are seen as institutional anchors capable of mobilising students, engaging community leaders, and coordinating with law enforcement. Governor Bagde wants anti-drug goals integrated into the broader village development work universities already undertake.
How does this initiative connect to the national Drug-Free India movement?
The directive is part of the broader Nasha Mukt Bharat campaign championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 100-week My Bharat Portal campaign provides the national framework, with Rajasthan's university-led village intervention serving as a state-level implementation model.
