In alignment with the spirit of Raksha Bandhan, and part of celebration of 5 years of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA), an event was organized by Department of Social Justice & Empowerment on 8th August 2025 from 09:00 AM at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, 15 Janpath, New Delhi, wherein sisters from the Brahma Kumaris tied rakhis to nearly 400 CRPF jawans and officers.
This event also featured a pledge ceremony by all participants committing to remain free from drug use. Hon'ble Union Minister, Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar administered a “Mass Pledge” against drug abuse to all the participants.
Hon'ble Minister emphasized that this challenge of eradicating drug addiction requires everyone in the society to come together and fight for this social cause. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal Ministry for drug demand reduction in the country, which coordinates and monitors all aspects of drug abuse prevention, assessment of the extent of the problem, preventive action, treatment and rehabilitation of users, dissemination of information.
This Ministry has initiated ambitious Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) and 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.
Hon'ble Minister of State, SJ&E, Shri Ramdas Athawale highlighted the achievements of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) and explained how NMBA has helped in reducing the demand of drugs.
Hon'ble Minister of State, SJ&E, Shri B.L. Verma in his speech mentioned that the 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.
Sister BK Lakshmi from Brahmakumaris emphasized the spiritual importance of Raksha Bandhan and requested everyone to renounce the inner evils from their lives. IGP, CRPF appreciated the joint efforts of the three Ministries i.e. Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in curbing the demand and supply of drugs.
He further assured that the officers of CRPF are always committed towards the goal of achieving Nasha Mukt Bharat. By publicizing and celebrating such events, the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment aims to motivate young people and citizens at large to stay away from drugs and embrace healthier, value-driven lifestyles.
Achievements of NMBA:
Till now, through the various activities undertaken on-ground, 18.07+ crore people have been sensitized on substance use including 6.01+ Crore Youth and 4.08+ Crore Women.
Participation of 4.84+ 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 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.
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.
Technology and Social media have been effectively utilized to spread the message of the Abhiyaan online by creating handles on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram and sharing daily updates on them.
An Android based mobile Application has been developed to capture the data of activities happening on ground on a real-time basis by the districts and master volunteers. This App has been placed on the Google Play Store.
All the de-addiction facilities have been geo-tagged for ease of access by the public.