An annual anti-drug action plan for 272 vulnerable districts was launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on Friday, the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’, or drug-free India campaign will focus not just on institutional support but also on community outreach programmes in the districts identified in coordination with the Narcotics Control Bureau, R. Subrahmanyam, Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, said at the e-launch.
“Today, we want to herald a new change in the strategy against drugs. So far, we had been focussed on institutions, but we need to move the focus to working in society at large because the problem is not at the institutional level, it is at the level of society,” he said, adding that while the Ministry would ramp up funding for institutions, it would also launch campaigns in schools and colleges to prevent drug abuse among youth. He said the funding had gone up from ₹49 crore in 2017-2018 to ₹110 crore in 2019-2020, and ₹260 crore estimated for 2020-2021.
Mr. Subrahmanyam said the Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCAs), funded by the Ministry, should reach out to their communities to help those affected by addiction. Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Rattan Lal Kataria said it was important to sensitise parents to, and involve schools in, prevention of drug abuse. The plan includes awareness generation programmes, community outreach and identification of drug-dependent population, focus on treatment facilities and capacity-building for service-providers.
