The Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA), or Drug-Free India Campaign, is the Government of India's flagship de-addiction and awareness programme against substance abuse.
Basic Details
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Launched: 15 August 2020.
- Initial Coverage: Around 372 of India's most vulnerable districts, identified using the National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Abuse (2019) and inputs from the Narcotics Control Bureau; later expanded further.
- Type: Central Sector campaign combining outreach, treatment, and capacity-building.
Key Features
- Outreach and Awareness: District- and community-level awareness generation programmes (Nasha Mukt Bharat) in schools, colleges and communities.
- Treatment Infrastructure: Supports Addiction Treatment Facilities, Community Peer Led Intervention centres, and District De-addiction Centres.
- Institutional Anchors: Delivered through the National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) and state Social Welfare/Social Defence departments.
- Umbrella Role: Later initiatives, such as the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports' 'Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyaan' (2026), have been launched as extensions built on the NMBA framework.
Significance
- Whole-of-Government Model: Brings together health, social welfare, education, youth affairs, and enforcement agencies under one anti-drug framework.
- Long-Term Human Capital Goal: Frames a drug-free population as a precondition for India's long-term development goals, including Viksit Bharat @2047.