New Delhi, Dec 2 : Nearly 25 crore Indians have been sensitised against drug abuse under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA), the government told the Parliament on Tuesday.

NMBA was launched by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2020 to fight the growing concern of drug addiction in 272 of the most vulnerable districts in the country.

The NMBA is now extended to all districts of the country, said Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment B.L. Verma, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

The national campaign intends to reach out to the masses and spread awareness about substance use with a focus on higher educational Institutions, university campuses, and schools.

â??Till now, through the various activities undertaken on-ground, 24.9+ crore people have been sensitized on substance use, including 8.7+ crore youth and 6.0+ Crore Women,â?? Verma said.

â??Participation of 12.15+ Lakh educational institutions has ensured that the message of the Abhiyaan reaches children and youth of the country,â?? he added.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal Ministry for drug demand reduction in the country.

To tackle the issue of substance use, DoSJE has been implementing the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) -- a centrally sponsored scheme.

It provides financial assistance to states, NGOs, and government hospitals for Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs), Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts, among others.

Under the NAPDDR scheme, â??349 Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts (IRCAs), 45 community-based peer-led Intervention (cpLI) programmes with children below 18 have been created to build awareness against drugsâ??.

Other activities undertaken include 76 outreach and drop-in centers (oDICs), 154 Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs) in Government hospitals, and 139 District De-Addiction centres.

Further, DoSJE has also implemented a toll-free helpline for de-addiction -- 14446 -- for providing primary counselling and immediate referral services to persons seeking help through this helpline.

â??More than 4.3 Lakh calls have been received, so far, on the helpline number,â?? Verma said.

/IANS