IIT, IIM freshers to get voluntary drug tests under government's anti-narcotics plan

The Union government has directed higher educational institutions across India, starting with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) this year, to suggest that incoming students submit voluntary urine tests for drugs along with their admission paperwork. The tests screen for substances including amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, benzodiazepines, and phencyclidine (PCP).

According to government officials and admission documents, the test is strictly voluntary, confidential, and anonymised. It will not influence a student's admission, academic status, or hostel eligibility. The initiative forms part of the Education Ministry's Department of Higher Education efforts to tackle narcotics in the country, as outlined in the Narcotics Control Bureau's 'Vision Document on Narcotics Control 2026-29'. A key strategy in that document is to screen around 10 lakh students across 170 centrally-funded higher education institutes for drugs over the next three years in a phased manner.

The vision document terms the misuse of psychoactive substances among college and university students as 'a growing health concern'. The screening programme is being implemented in three phases. In the first phase, beginning this year, IITs, IIMs, and one central university are covered. In the next academic year (2027-28), the government plans to extend screenings to 32 National Institutes of Technology (NITs), eight Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), three Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPAs), 25 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and four centrally-funded technical institutes. During 2028-29, the programme will be taken to 46 central universities and four deemed-to-be-universities.

The mission to screen 10 lakh students by 2029 comes as the government is finalising questions for its next and most expansive survey of substance users across India, with results expected over the next few years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to launch the 'Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan' on Sunday, August 2, 2026, which aims to 'inspire youth to stay away from substance abuse'.

Government officials told The Hindu that the basic guidelines for drug testing of college and university students were provided by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. Under this framework, the test is meant to be strictly voluntary and confidential, cannot result in any 'negative repercussions on the students taking it whatsoever', and should be used for counselling purposes only.

According to the brochure issued to the incoming 2026-28 batch of MBA students at IIM Lucknow, the Department of Higher Education has required that the urine test drug panel be conducted at a National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)-certified laboratory within seven days of submitting the report. It further says that students should submit the report in a closed envelope marked 'confidential' for the eyes of the student wellness committee alone.

A similar document issued to incoming B.Tech students at IIT Goa notes that the test is voluntary and confidential, and that the Ministry of Education designed it primarily for preventive health and support. The IIT Goa admissions document adds that any findings from the submitted tests will not affect academic status, admission, or hostel eligibility, and shall not lead to disciplinary measures, suspension, or any form of expulsion. However, the IIM Lucknow brief does not explicitly mention that students will not face negative repercussions during their time at the institute, though it states results will not affect admission.

Beyond screenings, the vision document for drug demand reduction among youth outlines plans to declare university and college campuses and surrounding areas as 'drug-free' and to train teachers on substance abuse prevention. The government's approach focuses on voluntary participation and confidentiality, with the goal of addressing what it describes as a growing health concern among students.