IIT BHU Varanasi has taken a big step to keep its campus free from substance abuse. The institute has formed a nine-member committee to coordinate and conduct urine-based drug tests for newly admitted students. This decision came after the Ministry of Education issued guidelines asking institutes to conduct drug tests for students. The official notice was issued by the deputy registrar general administration of IIT BHU. The panel includes faculty members and medical professionals from the institute. Scroll the article to get complete details.
Nine-Member Panel Formed for Drug Test Screening
The committee is headed by the dean of student affairs at IIT BHU. It includes senior deans and doctors from IIT and BHU. As per media reports and the ministry guidelines students will be required to give their consent before undergoing the urine-based drug test. IIT BHU has not yet specified the detailed procedure or the schedule for obtaining consent or conducting the test. The protocols to be followed in case a student tests positive for substance use are also awaited. The list of members is given below.
- Rajesh Kumar – Dean of Students’ Affairs: Chairman
- Devender Singh – Dean of Academic Affairs: Member
- Medha Jha – Associate Dean of Students’ Affairs: Member
- Abhishekh Kumar Srivastava – Associate Dean of SCS: Member
- Dr. Ajit Kumar Mishra – Faculty Coordinator of SCS: Member
- Kiran Giri – Department of Pharmacology at IMS BHU: Member
- Kamlesh Palandurkar – Head of the Department of Biochemistry at BHU: Member
- Dr. Deepa Rani – Department of Pathology at BHU: Member
- Mr. Tushar – Convener of SCS: Member
Why the Drug Test Decision Was Taken
The move by IIT BHU is not a standalone step. It follows a directive from the Union Ministry of Education which has asked top higher education institutes including the IITs and the IIMs to introduce drug screening for incoming students. The idea is part of a bigger national effort to curb substance abuse among young people. Under the plan the testing is meant to be voluntary and confidential and the results are expected to be used only for counselling and support and not for any punitive action. The testing framework has been prepared by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre at AIIMS New Delhi. The exercise is also linked to the Narcotics Control Bureau vision document that aims to screen around ten lakh students across centrally funded institutes in a phased manner over three years. IIT BHU has now become one of the first institutes to set up a formal committee for this purpose.
What Is Still Not Clear About the Testing Process
While the committee is in place many questions remain unanswered. The institute has not shared the detailed procedure for obtaining consent from students before the test. The schedule for conducting the tests has also not been announced. It is not yet known how many of the newly admitted students will be covered in the first round. The biggest gap is the absence of a clear protocol for students who test positive for substance use. The ministry guidelines suggest that the screening should not carry any negative consequences and should instead open the door for counselling and rehabilitation. However IIT BHU is yet to spell out its own approach on this. The committee is expected to finalise these details before the process actually begins on campus. Students and parents are advised to wait for an official clarification from the institute rather than relying on unverified reports.
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