Demand reduction
Also called: Drug demand reduction · Topic: Statutory, Regulatory and Quasi-judicial Bodies · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Demand reduction is a way of fighting the drug problem by making fewer people want or use drugs. It has three parts. Prevention stops people from starting. Treatment helps people who are already addicted. Rehabilitation helps them return to normal life. The approach sees addiction as a health and social problem, not only a crime. In India it rests on the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR), run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Its legal base is Section 71 of the NDPS Act, 1985, which lets the government set up centres to identify and treat addicts.
Example
The Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan is the awareness campaign under NAPDDR. It was launched on 15 August 2020 in 272 vulnerable districts and extended to all districts from 15 August 2023. The number of people seeking treatment and counselling rose from 2.08 lakh in 2020-21 to over 9.11 lakh in 2025-26.
Don't confuse with
- Supply reduction: cuts the amount of drugs available through police action, seizures and anti-trafficking work. In India this is handled by enforcement agencies such as the Narcotics Control Bureau under the Home Ministry, not by the Social Justice Ministry.