Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan at Six

1. At a Glance

• Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) is the flagship awareness programme of the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR). NAPDDR is the umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) [1].
• It works on demand reduction: preventive education, awareness, counselling, treatment and rehabilitation. It is not about cutting supply [1].
• At six years, the Ministry calls it a Jan Andolan, a people's movement owned by the community, that has reached 35.84 crore people [1].
• Why UPSC cares: it links a Directive Principle (Article 47), social sector schemes (GS-II), internal security and narcotics (GS-III), and public health ethics (GS-IV).

2. Why in the News

• NMBA finished six years since its launch on 15 August 2020. MoSJE released a progress statement with outreach, treatment and funding data [1].
• The release sets out a three-tier monitoring structure: State/UT, District and Block committees. The Home Minister suggested it at the 9th Apex Level Meeting of NCORD [1].
• A second national survey on substance use is due in 2027. It will give district-level estimates for the first time [1].

3. Background & Evolution

• Why it started: substance dependence is a psycho-social-medical problem that harms individuals, families and communities. The response therefore combines awareness, treatment and social reintegration, not enforcement alone [1].
• Constitutional basis: Article 47 says the State shall endeavour to prohibit the consumption of intoxicating drinks and drugs injurious to health, except for medicinal purposes [1].
• Milestones:
• 2018: NDDTC, AIIMS conducts the first National Survey on the Extent and Pattern of Substance Use. It is released in February 2019 with national and State estimates [1].
• 15 August 2020: NMBA launches in 272 districts, picked using Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) inputs and survey findings [1]. Parliament described these as the "most vulnerable" districts [3].
• February 2024: a progress update under NAPDDR/NMBA covers outreach events and training modules for students, teachers and parents [2].
• 15 August 2023: NMBA extended to all districts [1][3].
• 2026: six-year review; three-tier monitoring set out; 35.84 crore people reached (as of 10 November 2026) [1].

• 2027: second national survey due [1].

• Parent scheme: NMBA sits inside NAPDDR, which covers prevention, treatment and rehabilitation [1].

4. Core Static Facts

Treatment facilities (five types) [1]:

• IRCA (Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts): inpatient treatment.
• ODIC (Outreach and Drop-In Centre): screening, counselling and referral.
• CPLI (Community-based Peer-Led Intervention): early prevention through youth volunteers.
• DDAC (District De-Addiction Centre): IRCA + ODIC + CPLI combined at district headquarters.
• ATF (Addiction Treatment Facility): located in Government hospitals.

Three-tier monitoring [1]:

• State/UT Steering and Monitoring Committee
• District Drug Demand Reduction Committee
• Block Drug Demand Reduction Committee
• Each tier oversees, inspects and reports to the tier above.

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Social

• About 1.2 crore children and 58 lakh women have substance use disorders. Drug use is not confined to adult men [1].
• NAPDDR explicitly aims to reduce stigma and discrimination so that dependent persons can return to society [1].
• Delivery through Anganwadi and ASHA workers and PRIs uses the existing welfare network to reach the last mile [1].

Legal / Constitutional

• Article 47 gives the normative basis. As a DPSP it is non-justiciable, so action takes the form of schemes rather than enforceable entitlements [1].
• The NMBA/NAPDDR (demand side, MoSJE) and NCB (supply side, reporting via MANAS 1933) split shows that enforcement and welfare are separate tracks [1].

Governance / Administrative

• The move from organisational to community involvement (Jan Andolan) relies on States, districts and local stakeholders owning the campaign [1].
• The three-tier committees formalise vertical accountability from Block to State [1].
• Grants continue only after a satisfactory inspection report. Surprise inspections and the NAPDDR MIS tie money to quality [1].
• Federal angle: the scheme is centrally sponsored, but delivery depends on States and districts. The idea of monitoring through NCORD shows the Home Ministry and the Social Justice Ministry working together [1].

Scientific / Evidence-based

• Districts were targeted using survey data and NCB intelligence [1].
• The second survey (2027) will add district-level estimates. This allows finer targeting than the 2018 national and State estimates [1].

Economic / Fiscal

• Rs. 333 crore (2026-27) is small compared with a burden of over 7 crore people with substance use disorders. This raises questions about adequacy and per-capita reach [1].
• Treatment seekers rose roughly 4.4 times, from 2.08 lakh to 9.11 lakh (2020-21 to 2025-26). This points to better access and less stigma, and also to more pressure on capacity [1].

Ethical

• Treating dependence as a health and social problem rather than a crime reflects compassion and dignity [1].

6. Recent Developments (last 12-18 months)

• 2025-26: more than 9.11 lakh persons sought treatment and counselling [1].
• 2026-27 Budget: Rs. 333 crore allotted to NAPDDR [1].
• 10 November 2026: cumulative NMBA reach of 35.84 crore people [1].
• 2026: three-tier State, District and Block monitoring set out, following the Home Minister's suggestion at the 9th NCORD Apex Level Meeting [1].
• Upcoming (2027): second national survey on substance use, with district-level estimates [1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• NMBA launched on 15 August 2020 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (not MHA) [1].
• It started in 272 districts, selected using NCB inputs and the NDDTC-AIIMS survey [1].
• Extended to all districts from 15 August 2023 [1].
• NMBA is the flagship awareness programme under NAPDDR. NAPDDR is the umbrella scheme [1].
• NAPDDR is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with central sector components [1].
• NAPDDR budget for 2026-27: Rs. 333 crore [1].
• NMBA grant-in-aid: Rs. 10 lakh per district per financial year [1].
• De-addiction helpline: 14446. NCB drug-reporting helpline: MANAS (1933) [1].
• First national survey: 2018, by NDDTC, AIIMS, released February 2019 [1].
• 2018 survey: over 7 crore people with substance use disorders, including about 1.2 crore children and 58 lakh women [1].
• DDAC combines IRCA + ODIC + CPLI at district headquarters [1].
• ATFs are located in Government hospitals [1].
• CPLI uses youth volunteers for early prevention [1].
• Three-tier monitoring was suggested at the 9th Apex Level Meeting of NCORD [1].
• Constitutional anchor: Article 47 (DPSP) [1].

8. What '35.84 Crore Reached' Does Not Tell Us

• The headline number counts contact, not change
• 35.84 crore is the number of people the campaign has reached through its events [1].
• It does not tell us how many people stopped using drugs, or never started.

• Reaching about five times the affected population (over 7 crore people [1]) shows how wide the campaign spread. It does not show whether it worked.

• Districts were chosen without district-level drug data

• The 2018 survey gave only national and State estimates [1].
• So the 272 districts of 2020 were picked using NCB intelligence plus State-level numbers, not measured drug use in each district [1].

• A district with heavy use inside a low-use State could have been missed until the scheme covered all districts in 2023 [1].

• The 2027 survey cannot yet show change inside a district

• The 2027 survey will give district estimates for the first time [1].
• But change needs two points in time. There is no earlier district figure to compare it with.
• So 2027 can show national and State change since 2018. District-level change will only show up after the survey that follows it.
• Fair point on the other side: the 2018 survey was done before the 2020 launch, so India does have a national starting point to measure against [1].

9. Treatment Reaches About One in a Hundred

• The 4.4-times rise still leaves most people untreated
• In 2025-26, 9.11 lakh people sought treatment or counselling [1].
• Over 7 crore people have a substance use disorder (a medical condition where a person cannot control their use of a drug, even when it harms them) [1].

• 9.11 lakh out of 7 crore is about 1.3%. So in one year, this network reached roughly 1 in 77 affected people [1].

• The money per affected person is very small

• Rs. 333 crore for NAPDDR in 2026-27, spread over 7 crore affected people, comes to under Rs. 50 per person per year [1].
• The same budget must also pay for awareness events, training and the five types of centres (IRCA, ODIC, CPLI, DDAC, ATF) [1].

• Awareness raises demand for treatment. If the number of beds and counsellors does not grow with it, people who come forward will face waiting lists.

• Linking grants to inspection creates a new choke point

• Grants continue only after a satisfactory inspection report [1].
• This protects quality. But if inspections run late, a working centre can be left without money.
• So the speed of inspections, not only the quality of centres, starts to decide whether treatment continues.

10. The Law Still Treats the User as an Offender

• Two government messages pull in opposite directions
• MoSJE calls drug dependence a psycho-social-medical problem, a mix of mind, family and health [1].
• But Section 27 of the NDPS Act, 1985 makes consuming a drug a crime [4].

• The punishment is up to one year in jail, or a fine of up to Rs. 20,000, or both, for drugs like cocaine, morphine and heroin. For other drugs it is up to six months, or a fine of up to Rs. 10,000 [4].

• Freedom from prosecution comes with a condition

• Section 64A protects an addict from prosecution if they volunteer for treatment at a hospital or centre run or recognised by the government [4].
• This protection covers consumption and small-quantity offences. It can be taken away if the person does not finish the treatment [4].

• So the law does not say 'you are a patient'. It says 'you will not be punished if you get treated'. A person afraid of the police may never come forward at all.

• The reporting line goes to the police side

• MANAS (1933) sends information to NCB, an enforcement agency. 14446 is the de-addiction helpline [1].
• Families who confuse the two numbers may hold back from calling. They fear the call will bring police action instead of help.

11. The Case for Keeping Drug Use a Crime, and Its Limits

• The strongest argument for Section 27
• The Constitution itself leans towards prohibition. Article 47 asks the State to work to prohibit the consumption of harmful drugs [1].
• The threat of prosecution, together with Section 64A, can push an unwilling user into treatment who would otherwise never seek it [4].

• Removing the penalty, supporters argue, could signal to young people that drug use is acceptable.

• What this argument gets right

• Article 47 really does use the word 'prohibit', so criminal law is not against the Directive Principle (a guideline for the State that courts cannot enforce) [1].

• Some pressure to enter treatment can help people who deny they have a problem.

• Where it falls short

• Article 47 asks the State to prohibit consumption. It does not say the user must be punished. The State can reduce use through treatment and awareness, which is exactly what NMBA does [1].
• Fear works against a scheme that depends on people coming forward. NMBA's own success measure, the 9.11 lakh treatment seekers, needs people to step out of hiding [1].
• Section 64A protects people only after they are charged [4]. Until then, a user is legally a criminal, and that is the stigma NAPDDR is trying to remove [1].

12. What Should Change Before the Next Plan

• MoSJE should write a new roadmap using the 2027 data
• NAPDDR began in 2018 with a roadmap that ran up to 2025 [5].
• That period has ended, but the district-level data arrives only in 2027 [1].

• The next plan should be built on the 2027 numbers, so districts get money according to how big their problem is, not one flat Rs. 10 lakh each [1].

• MoSJE and NDDTC-AIIMS should measure results, not reach

• The NAPDDR MIS (Management Information System, the online system that records each centre's data) already tracks centres [1].
• It should also report how many people complete treatment and how many stay off drugs months later.

• District Drug Demand Reduction Committees could then be judged on those numbers, not on how many people attended events [1].

• The Union government should make Section 64A the first step, not a rescue

• Today, protection under Section 64A starts only after a charge [4].
• Police could be directed to send first-time consumers to an IRCA or an ATF in a Government hospital before any charge is filed [1][4].

• The NCORD mechanism, where the Home Ministry and MoSJE already sit together on monitoring, is the natural forum to agree this [1].

• Treatment capacity must grow along with awareness

• Treatment seekers grew about 4.4 times in five years [1].
• MoSJE should plan beds and counsellors for that growth rate, and use ATFs inside Government hospitals so it does not have to build everything new [1].

13. Anchors for Answers

• Data: 9.11 lakh treatment seekers (2025-26) against over 7 crore people with substance use disorders, so treatment reaches about 1.3% of those affected in a year [1]
• Data: Rs. 333 crore NAPDDR budget (2026-27), under Rs. 50 per affected person per year [1]
• Report/Committee: National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use, NDDTC-AIIMS (conducted 2018, released 2019). District estimates come only in the 2027 survey [1]
• Law/Case: Article 47 (DPSP), which asks the State to prohibit harmful drugs [1]. NDPS Act, 1985: Section 27 punishes consumption; Section 64A protects addicts who volunteer for treatment [4]
• Scheme: NAPDDR, launched 2018 with a roadmap up to 2025. NMBA is its awareness arm [5]

14. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections; government policies and interventions; issues in health; DPSP.
• GS-III: Internal security, including the link between organised crime and narcotics.
• GS-IV: Compassion, dignity and the ethics of treating dependence as a health issue rather than a crime.
• GS-I: Social issues such as youth, family and community.
• Possible question stems: 1. "Drug abuse in India is as much a public-health and social problem as a law-and-order one." Examine this with reference to the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan. 2. Assess how far the shift from organisational involvement to a community-owned 'Jan Andolan' has made India's drug demand reduction strategy more effective. What institutional gaps remain? 3. Discuss how Article 47 is put into practice through India's drug demand reduction framework, and the challenges of coordination between the Centre and the States.

15. Related Topics to Study Next

• NDPS Act and NCB: the supply-side counterpart to MoSJE's demand-side approach.
• NCORD (Narco-Coordination Centre) mechanism: the forum where the three-tier monitoring idea came from.
• MANAS helpline (1933): often confused with 14446 in MCQs.
• DPSPs, especially Article 47: the constitutional basis, and how it relates to State prohibition laws.
• Tele-MANAS and the National Mental Health Programme: mental health overlaps with treating dependence.
• Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle drug trafficking routes: the geopolitical source of supply-side pressure.
• UN drug control conventions and the International Day against Drug Abuse: the global regime India belongs to.
• Role of PRIs, Anganwadi and ASHA workers in scheme delivery: the last-mile model NMBA uses.

16. NCERT Concepts to Revise

• Nutrition and public health directive (Polity): Article 47, the constitutional anchor for NMBA, directs the state to improve public health and curb harmful drugs.
• Prohibition of intoxicating drinks (Polity): The Gandhian part of Article 47 on prohibiting harmful drugs is the normative basis, and the note debates it against punishing users.
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Economy): NDDTC at AIIMS ran the 2018 national survey used to select the 272 districts.
• Social justice (Polity): NMBA sits under the Social Justice Ministry and aims at dignity, reintegration and less stigma for dependent persons.
• Survey (Economy): The 2018 and 2027 national surveys supply the data that targets districts and measures the problem.
• Demand (Economy): NMBA is a demand reduction effort, so understanding demand explains how it differs from cutting supply.
• Supply (Economy): NCB and the NDPS Act handle the supply side, which is separate from MoSJE's demand-side work.
• Vertical accountability (Polity): The three-tier State, District and Block committees create accountability from block upward, with grants tied to inspections.
• Community (Polity): The Jan Andolan idea rests on community ownership, with volunteers, PRIs, Anganwadi and ASHA workers delivering the campaign.
• Police (Polity): Police and public order are State subjects, relevant to how consuming drugs as a crime and the NCB reporting line work.
• Government budget (Economy): The Rs. 333 crore NAPDDR allocation and its adequacy per affected person are central to the economic analysis.
• Union territory (Polity): State/UT-level steering committees form the top tier of NMBA's monitoring structure.

17. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Wrong ministry: NMBA and NAPDDR belong to MoSJE, not the Ministry of Health or MHA. NCB comes under the supply side [1].
• NMBA vs NAPDDR: NMBA is a component inside NAPDDR. They are not two parallel schemes [1].
• Helpline mix-up: 14446 is for de-addiction help; 1933 (MANAS) is for reporting to NCB [1].
• Survey details: conducted in 2018, released February 2019, by NDDTC, AIIMS (not NCRB or MoHFW). It gave national and State estimates; district-level estimates come only with the 2027 survey [1].
• Facility acronyms: DDAC combines IRCA, ODIC and CPLI. ATF is located in hospitals, not at district headquarters [1].
• Coverage timeline: 272 districts in 2020, and all districts only from August 2023 [1].