8.2 lakh people availing Centre’s de-addiction services at 768 centres
New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) More than 8.20 lakh people are availing the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment’s treatment and rehabilitation services at 768 de-addiction centres across the country, an official said on Saturday.
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar has called for collective and coordinated action from all stakeholders, including the general public, State and UT governments, line Ministries, and civil society, said an official statement.
Secretary Sudhansh Pant said that over the past few years, the Ministry has expanded treatment and rehabilitation services with 768 de-addiction and rehabilitation centres across the country.
The growing trust in these services is reflected in an increase of 294 per cent, from 2.08 lakh (in 2020) to more than 8.20 lakh (in 2025) people seeking treatment without stigma and prejudice, Pant added.
Minister Virendra Kumar said the Central government is committed to creating a drug-free society through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.
The Minister said that the scale of the problem became clearer with the Ministry’s first nationwide survey on the ‘Magnitude of Substance Use’ in India in 2019, adding that the findings highlighted that more than 7 crore individuals were affected by substance use disorder, including nearly 1.2 crore children and 58 lakh women.
Virendra Kumar said that the fight against substance abuse has to be driven by awareness, people-centric interventions, inter-sectoral convergence, empathy and shared responsibility.
The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJE), being the nodal ministry for drug demand reduction, launched the ‘National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR)’, a comprehensive framework aimed at prevention, awareness generation, capacity building, treatment, rehabilitation, and social reintegration.
To further strengthen these efforts, the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) was launched in 2020, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of creating a Nasha Mukt Bharat, the statement said.
Last month, the Nasha Mukt Bharat Saptah, observed from 17 June to 26 at Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya (DSVV), Haridwar, Uttarakhand, witnessed the participation of more than 1.31 crore citizens.
The Secretary said that the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment calls upon all citizens, institutions, youth organisations, educational institutions, and community stakeholders to continue joining hands in this national movement and contribute towards realising the vision of Nasha Mukt Bharat, Khushhaal Bharat, the statement said.
He said that the Ministry’s toll-free de-addiction helpline 14446 has received 4.69 lakh calls, serving as the first point of contact for individuals and families seeking assistance, adding that the launch of NMBA App 2.0 supports States, Districts, spiritual organisations and other stakeholders in uploading field-based activities data under NMBA with real-time visibility, including several newly introduced citizen-centric features.
–IANS
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