“Repercussions of substance use are not confined to the individual and his family, they ripple outward, affecting communities and contributing to broad societal changes and social stigma”, observed Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri B.L. Verma during the celebration of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, in New Delhi today.
The Minister highlighted and appreciated the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) scheme of the Ministry and explained how Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA) has helped in reducing the demand of drugs.
He hailed the efforts of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in building a Viksit Bharat by 2047, in which the message - ‘Say No to Drugs and Say Yes to Life’ – would play a seminal role. Each year, 26th June is observed as the ‘International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking’.
This year the event included cultural programmes on drug prevention, mass pledge to create awareness about the importance of prevention and treatment of drug abuse, distribution of prizes to the winners of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan competitions organized on MyGov, etc.
The nukkad natak and pantomime performance during the event enlightened the audience on how substance use disorder is an issue which is adversely affecting the social fabric of the country. Dependence to any substance not only affects the individual’s health but also disrupts their families and the whole society.
Regular consumption of various psychoactive substances leads to dependence of the individual. Some substance compounds may lead to neuro-psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular diseases, as well as accidents, suicides and violence.
Substance use and dependence needs to be viewed as a psycho-social-medical problem, the performances highlighted. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal Ministry for drug demand reduction in the country.
It has initiated the ambitious Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA), which is currently operational in all districts of the country with an aim to create awareness about ill effects of substance abuse among the youth, with special focus on higher education institutes, university campuses, schools and reaching out into the community and garnering community involvement and ownership of the Abhiyaan. Latest achievements under NMBA are as below:
Till now, through the various activities undertaken on-ground, 15.9+ crore people have been sensitized on substance use including 5.29+ Crore Youth and 3.32+ Crore Women.
Participation of 4.39+ Lakh educational institutions has ensured that the message of the Abhiyaan reaches children and youth of the country.
A strong force of 20,000+ Master Volunteers (MVs) have been identified and trained.
Awareness Generation through official Social Media accounts of the Abhiyaan on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
NMBA Mobile Application developed to gather and collect the data of NMBA activities and represent on the NMBA Dashboard at district, state and national level, on a real-time basis by the districts and master volunteers. This App has been placed on the Google Play Store.
NMBA Website (http://nmba.dosje.gov.in) provides detailed information and insights to the user/viewer about the Abhiyaan, an online discussion forum, NMBA dashboard, e-pledge.
A National Online Pledge to be Drug Free had 1.67+ Crore students from 99,595 educational institutions pledging to be drug free.
Events like 'Nashe se Azaadi- A National Youth and Students Interaction Programme', ‘Naya Bharat, Nasha Mukt Bharat’, ‘NMBA Interaction with NCC’ are regularly organized to engage and connect with youth and other stakeholders.
MoUs have been signed with Spiritual/Social Service organizations like The Art of Living, Brahma Kumaris, Sant Nirankari Mission, Ram Chandra Mission (Daaji), ISKCON and All World Gayatri Parivaar to support to NMBA and conduct mass awareness activities.
All the de-addiction facilities have been geo-tagged for ease of access by the public.
The programme witnessed participation of approximately 700 stakeholders, including Ministry officials, representatives of Central Ministries, spiritual organizations, academic institutions, NGOs/ Voluntary Organizations, Corporations of the Department, youth volunteers, etc.
As a run-up to the day, all the States/UTs and NGOs/ VOs supported by the Department under NAPDDR across the country were requested to organize and conduct awareness programmes/events under NMBA from 1st - 26th June 2025. With this programme, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment ensures to reach out the Abhiyaan in whole Country as Jan Andolan.