NEW DELHI: The government has strengthened its resolve to combat drug abuse and trafficking through a multi-faceted approach under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR).
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, in a written response to the Lok Sabha, laid out the broad-based efforts being undertaken to stem substance abuse and break drug networks.
To tackle the increasing issue of drug addiction, the government has initiated the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA), which has reached more than 14.79 crore individuals, out of which 4.96 crore have been youth and 2.97 crore women, through the assistance of over 10,000 master volunteers.
There is a network of 350 Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts (IRCAs) that are functional to offer treatment, preventive education, motivational counselling, detoxification, and social reintegration to victims of drugs.
Community-based treatment is also provided through 46 Community Peer-Led Intervention (CPLI) Centres and 74 Outreach and Drop-In Centres (ODICs), which provide safe locations for treatment and rehabilitation. With government hospitals and institutions such as AIIMS Delhi, 142 Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs) have been established, and 124 District De-addiction Centres (DDACs) that provide rehabilitation, outreach, and peer-led intervention services.
A toll-free de-addiction helpline number, 14446, offers primary counselling and instant support to such needy individuals. Schools and communities are regularly covered by awareness campaigns through agencies such as the National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) and State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs).
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has also come up with teacher training modules under the Navchetna programme to sensitise students, teachers, and parents about drug dependence and coping mechanisms.
On the enforcement side, the government has made firm steps towards checking the illegal sale of drugs, especially along the borders.
A four-layer Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) system has been put in place for better coordination between central and state organisations.
A specialised Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has been established in each state and union territory to serve as the NCORD Secretariat and implement decisions arrived at in high-level meetings.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was authorised in 2020 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act to probe cases of narco-terrorism. The Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, Sashastra Seema Bal, and Railway Protection Force have been empowered to make searches, seizures, and arrests in the context of trafficking in narcotics along India’s external frontiers and railway lines.