New Delhi, September 3 (Daily Kiran) : The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has announced significant plans to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Drug-Free India Campaign (NMBA) on September 3. Officials discussed the upcoming “National Collective Pledge Against Substance Abuse,” aimed at involving over 100 million citizens both physically and online.
Two high-level coordination meetings took place in the national capital, chaired by Joint Secretary (Drug Prevention) Sandeep Revaji Rathod. These meetings focused on strategies to ensure citizen participation in the initiative.
Attendees included Director Astik Kumar Pandey and Under Secretary Arun Kumar Karn from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, along with other officials. The NMBA was launched on August 15, 2020, to address the growing demand for drugs in the country.
Recognizing the urgent need for collective action, the ministry coordinates various initiatives, including prevention, assessment, treatment, rehabilitation, aftercare, and community awareness campaigns.
The ministry is implementing a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR). This strategy is informed by the findings of India’s first national survey on drug use, conducted by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) at AIIMS, New Delhi.
Under NAPDDR, the ministry provides financial assistance to state governments, union territories, NGOs, and government hospitals for educational initiatives, awareness programs, counseling, treatment, and rehabilitation efforts.
To date, the campaign has reached over 345.6 million citizens through awareness activities, including more than 137.1 million youth and 106.5 million women. To strengthen community involvement, over 164,000 “Drug-Free Friends” (NMM) have joined the campaign.
The recent meetings included senior representatives from various ministries and departments, who reviewed ongoing efforts related to the implementation strategy. The statement highlighted the importance of mobilizing officials, employees, students, parents, volunteers, and other stakeholders for the nationwide pledge.
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