Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan Reaches 35.84 Crore in Six Years

A backgrounder issued on 11 November 2026 sets out six years of the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA), the flagship awareness drive of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The campaign opened on 15 August 2020 in 272 districts found most vulnerable to substance use, widened to 372 districts in August 2022 and covers every district of the country with effect from 15 August 2023. The districts were picked from inputs of the Narcotics Control Bureau and the first national survey on substance use.

How far the campaign has travelled

As on 10 November 2026 the Abhiyaan had reached more than 35.84 crore people, among them over 14.33 crore young people and 11.32 crore women. Educational institutions have held more than 33.57 lakh awareness activities. Outreach was 1.4 crore people in 2021 and 23.74 crore when five years were marked at Amritsar on 18 November 2025. More than 2 lakh citizens have enrolled as Nasha Mukti Mitr, volunteers who spread awareness and connect affected families to counselling and treatment; a personal dashboard for them was opened on 17 June 2026.

The treatment network under NAPDDR

NMBA is the awareness arm of the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with five kinds of supported facilities.

People coming forward for treatment and counselling rose from 2.08 lakh in 2020-21 to more than 9.11 lakh in 2025-26, and 39.91 lakh persons have been treated and rehabilitated.

Money, helplines and the app

Every district receives Rs 10 lakh in a financial year as grant-in-aid for campaign work. The Union Budget provides Rs 333 crore for NAPDDR in 2026-27, against a revised estimate of Rs 420 crore for 2025-26 and Rs 268.32 crore spent in 2024-25. The national de-addiction helpline, running since 1 March 2017 and now numbered 14446, gives tele-counselling round the clock and has taken 5.10 lakh calls. The Narcotics Control Bureau runs MANAS on 1933 for reporting drug-related issues. The upgraded NMBA 2.0 App was launched on 24 April 2026 at a Chintan Shivir in Chandigarh.

The size of the problem, and the target ahead

The first national survey on the extent and pattern of substance use, carried out by NDDTC of AIIMS, New Delhi in 2018 and released in February 2019, found more than 7 crore people affected by substance use disorder, nearly 1.2 crore of them children and 58 lakh women. A second survey will give district-level estimates for the first time, with results expected in 2027. Article 47 of the Constitution directs the State to work towards prohibiting intoxicating drinks and harmful drugs except for medicinal use. The Union Home Minister has said the drug trade will be uprooted by 31 December 2029, placing the protection of the young within the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047.