Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday, 26 June 2026, highlighted the scale of the government's anti-drug campaign, stating that the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan has reached over 26 crore people, engaged more than 9.5 crore youth, and mobilised over 6.5 crore women under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Context

Rijiju's post, shared on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, underscored the government's dual approach to the drug menace — combining mass public awareness with what he described as a 'Zero Tolerance Policy' against drugs. 'The fight against drugs is not just about enforcement, it is about awareness, participation and prevention,' Rijiju wrote, framing the campaign as a whole-of-society effort rather than a purely law-enforcement exercise.

The minister's remarks come as India continues to grapple with rising substance abuse, particularly in border states and among urban youth. The post was accompanied by four images illustrating outreach activities under the campaign.

Policy Backdrop

The Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan was formally launched on 15 August 2020 as a flagship outreach programme under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, targeting awareness about substance abuse across districts identified as high-prevalence zones. The campaign operates alongside the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction, which was operationalised from 2018 onwards to coordinate prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation efforts across states.

Successive Union Budgets have allocated incremental funding for de-addiction centres and community awareness drives, particularly in states with documented high drug prevalence. The emphasis on reaching women and youth mirrors the model of parallel social-sector drives such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, which similarly target behavioural change at scale through grassroots mobilisation.

On the enforcement side, the government has reiterated its zero-tolerance posture under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, pairing stricter interdiction with demand-reduction messaging to address both supply and consumption.

Stakeholders and Impact

The campaign's stated outreach figures — 26 crore people reached, 9.5 crore-plus youth engaged, and 6.5 crore-plus women mobilised — signal the programme's ambition to embed anti-drug messaging deep into communities rather than limit it to institutional settings. Youth and women have been identified as priority cohorts, both as potential victims of substance abuse and as agents of community-level change.

States with high drug prevalence, including those in Punjab, the Northeast, and parts of Rajasthan, have been focal points of the campaign's district-level outreach. Community volunteers, self-help groups, and educational institutions have served as key delivery channels.

What's Next

Observers will watch for the next annual progress report of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which is expected to provide updated district-wise data on outreach and de-addiction outcomes. Any proposed amendments to the NDPS Act listed for the upcoming winter session of Parliament would also signal the government's legislative intent on the enforcement dimension of its anti-drug strategy.

As the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan enters its sixth year, the government faces the challenge of converting awareness reach into measurable reductions in drug prevalence — a metric that will increasingly define the campaign's legacy.