Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan Reaches 35.88 Crore People

The Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA), the flagship anti-drug awareness drive of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, has now reached more than 35.88 crore people across the country, the ministry said on 12 November 2026. The campaign was launched on 15 August 2020 and has grown in six years from an office-driven programme into a community-led movement in which States, districts, schools, colleges, voluntary bodies and local groups all take part.

Who the campaign has reached

• More than 14.35 crore young people have been contacted through its activities
• More than 11.33 crore women have been brought into the conversation on substance abuse
• Over 2 lakh citizens have signed up as Nasha Mukti Mitr, the volunteer arm of the drive
• More than 34.07 lakh awareness events have been held in educational institutions

Set against the roughly 1.4 crore people the drive touched in 2021, the present figure shows how far its footprint has widened.

From 272 districts to the whole country

The Abhiyaan began in 272 districts picked out as the most vulnerable to substance use. It was widened to 372 districts in August 2022 and then extended to every district in the country with effect from 15 August 2023.

Treatment, not only awareness

NMBA is the awareness component of the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR), which rests on prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. The number of people coming forward for treatment and counselling has risen from 2.08 lakh in 2020-21 to more than 9.11 lakh in 2025-26. The country now has 198 District De-Addiction Centres.

The survey behind the campaign

The first National Survey on the Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India, carried out in 2018, put the number of people living with substance use disorders at over 7 crore, among them close to 1.2 crore children and 58 lakh women. Those findings pushed the ministry towards a response that joined awareness with medical and psycho-social care, since dependence affects not only the individual but the family and the neighbourhood around them.