Every CBSE-affiliated school now has a fresh task on its plate. The Board wants all of them to sign up on the Nasha Mukt Vidyalaya (NMV) Portal, run an honest self-check on whether their campus is tobacco-free and drug-free, and then declare themselves a “Nasha Mukt Vidyalaya” if they meet the mark. Registration is meant to happen at the earliest.
The push comes from a bigger plan. The Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, has drawn up a Nasha Mukt Vidyalaya (NMV) Three-Year Action Plan (2026–2029) to make school campuses safe, healthy and free of tobacco and drugs. CBSE has asked its schools to fall in line with it.
What CBSE wants schools to do on the Nasha Mukt Vidyalaya (NMV) Portal
The circular lists a clear set of steps for school heads:
- Register on the NMV Portal at https://tofei.education.gov.in/. The user manual and other support material sit on the portal itself.
- Finish the online self-evaluation and take the steps needed to build and keep a tobacco-free, drug-free campus.
- Run regular awareness drives, preventive education, parent engagement and counselling as laid out in the Three-Year Action Plan.
- Review, from time to time, how registration, self-assessment and implementation are going, and keep records ready for verification.
Here’s the part schools should note: once a school self-declares, DoSEL may carry out a random physical check to see if the claim holds up. So the self-assessment isn’t just a formality.
Two dates coming up for students
CBSE has also nudged schools towards two activities. First, students and the wider school community should join the “National Pledge against Drug Abuse” being organised by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE) on 18 August 2026.
Second, schools have been asked to encourage participation in the Ministry of Education’s MyGov Quiz on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, available at https://quiz.mygov.in/quiz/quiz-on-international-day-against-drug-abuse-and-illicit-trafficking/.
What the Three-Year Action Plan (2026–2029) sets out
The plan runs on a phased target. Roughly 40 to 50 per cent of schools are expected to be compliant by 2026–27, about 75 per cent by 2027–28, and 100 per cent by 2028–29. The goal is a fully drug-free, tobacco-free set of educational institutions by March 2029.
The plan spells out ten criteria a school must satisfy to be counted as a Nasha Mukt Vidyalaya. A few of them:
| Criterion | What it means |
|---|---|
| Tobacco-free signage | “Tobacco Free Area” and “Tobacco Free Educational Institution” boards displayed prominently on campus |
| 500-metre drug-free zone | Warning signage at the entrance or boundary wall about the ban on drug sale within a 500-metre radius |
| 100-yard rule | No shop selling tobacco within 100 yards; a marked boundary such as a yellow line |
| Awareness activities | At least one programme on tobacco, drugs or substance abuse every six months |
| Policy integration | A formal “No Tobacco/Drugs Substance Abuse” policy in the school’s Code of Conduct |
The plan also leans on existing structures: substance abuse prevention is already part of the NCERT curriculum and the CBSE Life Skills curriculum, and the Manodarpan portal and PM e-Vidya Paricharcha sessions are being widened for mental health support.
Schools that want the reference material can access the full action plan and manuals through the portal. Registration is the first step, so heads should log in and begin the self-evaluation without delay.