Declaring that there was a “conspiracy” afoot to wage a “proxy war” against India by making her youth dependent on illicit narcotic drugs which was weakening the family unit, society, and the nation by extension, Social Justice Minister Virendra Kumar said on Thursday that his government was working to open addiction treatment facilities (ATFs), with a special focus on border districts.
Mr. Kumar’s remarks came as he virtually inaugurated 25 ATFs across the country, at least nine of which were located in areas close to international borders, of which six were in Jammu and Kashmir (Srinagar, Rajouri, Poonch, Kathua, and Kishtwar).
Addressing officials and the press at the inauguration event in New Delhi’s Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, Mr. Kumar said that the first phase of this part of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) will involve the government building a total of 125 such ATFs, the first of which were thrown open on Thursday. The centres are being opened at district and government hospitals, with 100% funding from the Social Justice Ministry, under its umbrella National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction. The NAPDDR has been allocated ₹311 crore in the FY 2023-24 Budget.
In tandem
The event, held in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, was supposed to have Home Minister Amit Shah as the chief guest for the inauguration, but his unavailability led to MoS (Home) Nityanand Rai attending the programme in his stead, who added that both the MHA and the Social Justice Ministry were working together to address substance abuse problems. Narcotics Control Bureau Director-General S. N. Pradhan was also present at the event.
“While the Home Ministry is doing its part to curb the menace of illicit drug trade, our Ministry (Social Justice and Empowerment) is taking care of spreading awareness, conducting rehabilitation camps, and setting up de-addiction centres in 372 districts identified as having the most substance abuse cases. This is in keeping with Home Minister Amit Shah’s call to treat addicts as victims, while taking strict legal action against peddlers and smugglers,” Mr. Kumar said.
At five-year high
According to a reply in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, the Social Justice Ministry said that drug seizure cases were at a five-year high, as per records of the NCB available with the MHA, with the cases rising to 66,758 in 2022 from 49,450 in 2018.
The last country-wide survey on substance use was conducted between 2017 and 2018, the report for which was released in 2019 by the Social Justice Ministry. The report showed that the leading substance abused in India was alcohol, followed by Cannabis, and Opioids— with inhalants presenting a concerning abuse pattern among children.
Mr. Kumar told The Hindu on Thursday that the AIIMS’ National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, which had conducted the study, was continuing its research and based on its findings, the government was designing its policy for de-addiction centres.
The Social Justice Minister added that the NMBA had so far reached out to a total of over 9.3 crore people across the country, which included more than 3 crore youth and over 2 crore women, along with the participation of 2.7 lakh educational institutions.
A United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Impact Assessment carried out in 11 States showed that 76% respondents felt the need for a campaign like NMBA in their communities, and 64% respondents reported having heard about the campaign.
