Students urged to stay away from drugs, dependence mobile phones

Eminent psychiatrist C.R. Chandrasekhar on Thursday advised students to adopt healthy lifestyles, stay away from drugs and other harmful habits and avoid excessive dependence on mobile phones to succeed in life.

Addressing students of various departments at Sharnbasva University during a programme on “Mental Health, Well Being and Ragging-Free Campus”, Dr. Chandrasekhar said that India, with the world’s largest youth population, has immense potential to meet the growing global demand for skilled human resource.

The programme was jointly organised by the Student Counselling Committee and the Anti-Ragging Committee of the university.

“Nearly 45 crore of India’s 142 crore population comprises youth and this demographic strength should be channelled towards making the country a developed nation. We need to guide young people in the right direction during their formative years and protect them from social evils. Students should set realistic goals in life and work hard to achieve them,” he said.

Expressing concern over the increasing involvement of youth in cybercrime and other unlawful activities in pursuit of easy money, he said that many students are also falling prey to drugs and unhealthy lifestyles.

“Parents and teachers have a crucial role in counselling and guiding students who deviate from the right path,” he said.

Dr. Chandrasekhar also highlighted the growing unemployment problem among graduates.

“While India can take pride in having nearly 30% of its youth as graduates, it is worrying that around 40% of them, especially engineering graduates, remain unemployed. Because of the mismatch between educational qualifications and available jobs, several engineering and even MBBS graduates are working in professions far below their qualifications,” he said.

Advising students to reduce screen time, he said that a large section of youth have become addicted to mobile phones. Excessive use of mobile devices can lead to serious health complications, he warned.

Director of the university V.D. Mytri presided over the programme.

Chairman of the Student Counselling Committee Sharan Shekhdar and others were present.