International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

• 28 Jun 2021

Why in News

Recently, the Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment launched the website for the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (26^th June).

• The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment is the nodal ministry for Drug Demand Reduction, implements various programmes for drug abuse prevention across the country.

Key Points

• About:
  • In order to strengthen action and cooperation in achieving the goal of a world free of drug abuse, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, in December 1987, decided to mark 26^th June as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
• 2021 Theme:
  • "Share Facts On Drugs, Save Lives"
• Related Initiatives:
  • Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961.
  • The Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971.
  • The UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988.
    • India is a signatory to all three and has enacted the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
  • Every year, the UN publishes a World Drug Report.

Indian Initiatives

• Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan/Drugs-Free India Campaign:
  • It was flagged off on 15^th August 2020 (Independence Day) across 272 districts of the country found to be most vulnerable based on the data available from various sources.
  • Its focal points are preventive, mass education and sensitization, capacity building of service providers, positive partnership with educational institutions, and augmentation of treatment, rehabilitation and counselling facilities.
• National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction:
  • This Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has begun implementation of a National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) for 2018-2025.
  • It aims at reduction of adverse consequences of drug abuse through a multi-pronged strategy involving education, de-addiction and rehabilitation of affected individuals and their families.
  • It focuses on preventive education, awareness generation, identification, counselling, treatment and rehabilitation of drug-dependent persons and training and capacity building of the service providers through collaborative efforts of the Central and State Governments and Non-Governmental Organizations.
    • There are more than 500 voluntary organizations across the country, which are assisted financially under the NAPDDR scheme.

Source: PIB