A three-pronged strategy for a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’

DELHI: The ‘Magnitude of Substance Use in India’ report, which was jointly released in 2019 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS, Delhi, showed increasing trends in drug use in India. Several illegal drugs have been and continue to be a part of the tradition in some parts of the country. However, the use of drugs has spread beyond traditional use and is surfacing as an issue of abuse among the youth.

According to medical research, drug addiction or substance use disorder is recognised as a chronic, relapsing health condition caused by a multitude of genetic, biological, environmental, and lifestyle-related factors. It can be treated using a combination of approaches, including counselling, lifestyle changes, and medical treatment. As a result, combating drug issues in any society demands a well-informed, multi-pronged strategy that simultaneously addresses the drug supply and reduction of drug demand.

On the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “I laud all those working at the grassroots to eliminate the menace of drugs from our society. Every such effort to save lives is vital. After all, drugs bring with it darkness, destruction and devastation”.

The government's NCORD mechanism has made it possible to address drug use on a greater level. Its direction and convergence have led to unified action by all agencies and stakeholders confronting substance use on a single platform.

On August 15, 2020, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment began its ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’, a community-driven mass movement campaign, against drug use in 272 vulnerable districts of the country. As a second step of this mass movement, another 100 vulnerable districts were added to the list in 2022.

The National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction, the umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, provides financial assistance to the state governments, Union territories, NGOs/ other voluntary organizations, districts and government hospitals for preventive education, awareness, rehabilitation treatment, to integrate those at the margins of the society back into the mainstream and provide them substantial support to live a life of dignity.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is now ready to add 25 Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs) in collaboration with the NDDTC. The 25 ATFs are located in government hospitals across the country and will be scaled-up further to cover most cities and districts in the country.