The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment implements a “Central Sector Scheme of Assistance for Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drug) Abuse”. The Scheme has the provision of financial assistance to Non-Governmental Organisations, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Urban Local Bodies etc. for, inter-alia, running and maintenance of Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCAs) and to provide composite/ integrated services for the rehabilitation of the addicts. These IRCAs are responsible for Preventive Education and Awareness Generation programmes in their neighborhood, educational institutions, workplace and slums with the purpose of sensitizing the community about the impact of addiction and the need to take professional help for treatment. Total number of beneficiaries under the scheme for the year 2014-15, 2015-16,2016-17& 2017-18 (up to 13.12.2017) are 108855, 146124, 114759 & 65682 respectively.

This Ministry has setup a National Toll Free Drug de-addiction Helpline No. 1800-11-0031 w.e.f. 7^th January, 2015 to help the victims of drug abuse, their family & society at large. The helpline has become operational 24x7 since March, 2017.

The last National Survey on the extent, pattern and trend of drug abuse was sponsored by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the year 2000-2001 and its report was published in 2004. It was estimated that about 732 lakh persons in India were users of alcohol and drugs. Of these 87 lakh used Cannabis, 20 lakh used opiates and 625 lakh were users of Alcohol. However, the sample size being small (40,697 males within the age group of 12-16 years both in rural and urban areas) vis-à-vis the country’s population, the estimates can at best be taken as indicative only.

Thereafter, no National Survey on drug abuse was conducted. However, the Ministry has, in the month of August, 2016, assigned the work of conducting the National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India to National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The survey will provide national and State-level estimates of proportion and absolute number of people who use various substances and people who are suffering from substance use disorders.

This information was given by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Vijay Sampla in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

 

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 Sanjay Kumar/jk/SJ&E-1/19-12-2017

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