Nasha Mukt Bharat: Annual Action Plan (2020-21)

Launched for on the occasion of “International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking”.

Launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

The Action Plan has the following components:

1. Awareness generation programmes.
2. Focus on Higher Educational institutions, University Campuses and Schools.
3. Community outreach and identification of dependent population.
4. Focus on Treatment facilities in Hospital settings.
5. Capacity Building Programmes for Service Provider.

Implementation:

It would focus on 272 most affected districts and launch a three-pronged attack combining efforts of Narcotics Bureau, Outreach/Awareness by Social Justice and Treatment through the Health Dept.

De-addiction Facilities would be set up.

Drop-in-centres for addicts will be set up and also on peer-led community based outreach programmes for high risk populations – particularly the youth- will be launched.

Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCAs) would reach out to communities to help those affected by drug addiction.

Key facts:

1. The Narcotics Control Bureau has identified the “most affected” 272 districts which mostly belong to Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and the North-East lead the states.
2. These districts have been identified by the Centre as those hugely affected by drug abuse.
3. The ‘Nasha mukt Bharat’ campaign was originally launched in 2015 by Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab.
4. According to the national list of districts most affected by substance abuse, 18 of the 22 districts in Punjab are among those identified by the NCB along with 10 out of Haryana’s 22 districts.

Need for:

About 8,50,000 Indians inject drugs, about 4,60,000 children and 1.8 million adults need help for inhalant dependence and 7.7 million Indians require help for opioid dependence.