CM Joseph Vijay Administers Anti-Drug Pledge at Presidency College
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay administered a State-level mass pledge for a ‘Drug-Free Tamil Nadu’ on Tuesday at Presidency College in Chennai. Around 2,000 students representing 73 educational institutions participated in the campaign event, which was organized by the Home, Prohibition and Excise Department.
During the event, Chief Minister Vijay launched the ‘Drug and Tobacco-Free Campus’ initiative aimed at curbing drug abuse across educational institutions in the State. Under this initiative, all new students will receive an orientation covering drug abuse risks, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act penalties, institutional disciplinary actions, and counselling options.
Educational institutions will organize anti-drug awareness activities under the program, including annual pledges, street plays, competitions, rallies, and visits to de-addiction centres following the Anti-Drug Club manual. Anti-Drug Clubs will be strengthened through training of their members and by nominating Peer Ambassadors to identify early behavioural changes and provide peer-level support.
To enforce safety measures, Police Nodal Officers will coordinate with educational institutions to address trafficking complaints promptly. According to an official release, students will also be encouraged to report drug abuse directly through the Drug-Free TN Mobile App.
As part of the event, the Chief Minister witnessed through videoconferencing the destruction of one lakh kg of seized narcotic substances and banned tobacco products carried out at Chengalpattu, Thanjavur, Coimbatore, and Tirunelveli.
Chief Minister Vijay also presented the ‘Chief Minister’s Police Medal - 2026’ to 15 police officers and personnel in acknowledgment of their outstanding contributions in the fight against drug production and illegal trafficking in the State. He presented awards to the three best anti-drug clubs and three best volunteer groups functioning in schools and colleges that performed well in creating awareness and reducing narcotic drug usage.
Several senior government officials attended the event at Presidency College, including Chief Secretary M. Sai Kumar; Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Prohibition and Excise, K. Manivasan; Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education, Dheeraj Kumar; Additional Chief Secretary, School Education, P. Chandramohan; and DGP/HoPF Magesh Kumar Aggarwal.
