International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking – Importance and Impact

Each year, 26^th June is observed as the “International Day against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking. To commemorate the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment is organizing a programme today (on 26^th June 2024) at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, 15 Janpath, New Delhi in the presence of Dr. Virendra Kumar, HMSJE, MoSs (SJE), and Senior officers of the Department.

Earlier, the Ministry has organized weeklong online activities from 20.06.2024 to 26.06.2024 to commemorate International Day against Drug abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Some such activities organized are Essay Writing Competition, promoting Yoga, Meditation and Mindfulness for a drug free lifestyle, showcasing best practices under NMBA, engaging university students to lead the Drug-free campaign, Leading from margins: Role of women in making Drug-free India etc. With these programmes, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment will ensure to reach out the Abhiyaan in whole Country as Jan Andolan.

All the States/UTs and DCs/DMs across the country have also been requested to take necessary steps for conducting/ organizing various programmes/ events such as rallies, cultural events, seminars, workshops, pledge along with wide publicity through media including social media platform against drug abuse under NMBA at the State as well as district level.

Besides, above, National Institute of Social Defence (NISD), an Autonomous Body under the aegis of this Ministry, is also undertaking various activities from 24^th to 28^th June 2024 like live quiz, awareness programmes, discussion with experts, individuals and families of affected persons, sharing of experience, etc. to commemorate the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

To ensure that the occasion is aptly utilized, all NGOs/VOs supported under NAPDDR by this  Ministry, also conducted/ organized shapath, painting competition, essay competition, tree  plantation, nukkad nattak competition, indoor games competition, marathon/ walkathon/ cycle/bike rally with wide publicity against drug abuse under NMBA from 20-26^th June, 2024.

Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan  (NMBA)

This Ministry has initiated ambitious Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan  (NMBA) and currently operational in all districts of the country with an aim to create awareness about ill effects of substance abuse among the youth, with special focus on higher education institutes, university campuses, schools and reaching out into the community and garnering community involvement and ownership of the Abhiyaan.

Achievements of NMBA:

• Till now, through the various activities undertaken on-ground, 11+ crore people have been sensitized on substance use including 3.50+ Crore Youth and 2.32+ Crore Women.
• Participation of 3.35+ Lakh educational institutions has ensured that the message of the Abhiyaan reaches children and youth of the country.
• A strong force of 8,000+ Master Volunteers (MVs) have been identified and trained.
• Awareness through official Social Media accounts of the Abhiyaan on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.
• NMBA Mobile Application developed to gather and collect the data of NMBA activities and represent on the NMBA Dashboard at district, state and national level.
• NMBA Website (http://nmba.dosje.gov.in) provides detailed information and insights to the user/viewer about the Abhiyaan, an online discussion forum, NMBA dashboard, e-pledge.
• A National Online Pledge to be Drug Free had 1.67+ Crore students from 99,595 educational institutions pledging to be drug free.
• Events like ‘Nashe se Azaadi- A National Youth and Students Interaction Programme’, ‘Naya Bharat, Nasha Mukt Bharat’, ‘NMBA Interaction with NCC’ are regularly organized to engage and connect with youth and other stakeholders.
• MoUs have been signed with Spiritual/Social Service organizations like The Art of Living, Brahma Kumaris, Sant Nirankari Mission, Ram Chandra Mission (Daaji), ISKCON and All World Gayatri Parivaar to support to NMBA and conduct mass awareness activities.
• Technology     and      Social  media  have been effectively   utilized to spread the message of the Abhiyaan online by creating handles on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram and sharing daily updates on them.
• An Android based mobile Application has been developed to capture the data of activities happening on ground on a real-time basis by the districts and master volunteers. This App has been placed on the Google Play Store.
• All the de-addiction facilities have been geo-tagged for ease of access by the public.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal Ministry for drug demand reduction in the country, which coordinates and monitors all aspects of drug abuse prevention, assessment of the extent of the problem, preventive action, treatment and rehabilitation of users, dissemination of information.

Substance use disorder is an issue, which is adversely affecting the social fabric of the country. Dependence to any substance not only affects the individual’s health but also disrupts their families and the whole society. Regular consumption of various psychoactive substances leads to dependence of the individual. Some substance compounds may lead to neuro-psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular   diseases, as well as accidents, suicides and violence. Therefore, substance use and dependence needs to be viewed as a psycho-social-medical problem.