National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction / Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan

What is the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction?

National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) is the umbrella scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment that funds India's drug demand reduction effort. According to the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, NAPDDR focuses on preventive education, awareness generation, identification, counselling, treatment and rehabilitation of people dependent on substances, and on training and capacity building of service providers, through the joint effort of Central and State Governments and Non-Governmental Organisations.

NAPDDR is a supply-side funding instrument as much as a service: it does not run centres directly but pays for them, meeting up to 90 per cent of approved expenditure for implementing agencies.

Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) is the flagship awareness component of NAPDDR. NMBA was launched on 15 August 2020 in 272 identified most vulnerable districts and has been extended to all districts across the country since August 2023.

Key objectives

• Create public understanding of the harm caused by substance dependence.
• Reduce the stigma attached to people with substance dependence, which is the main reason families delay seeking help.
• Build capacity for community-based services and comprehensive drug demand reduction programmes.
• Support research and innovation in addiction treatment.

Main features

• A toll-free national de-addiction helpline, 14446, which has taken more than 4.69 lakh calls.
• Grant-in-aid to States, UTs, NGOs and government hospitals.
• Focus on higher educational institutions, university campuses and schools.
• NMBA 2.0 app for real-time monitoring of grant-in-aid institutions and institutional coordination.

Who can get help under Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan?

You can seek help if:

• You are a person of any age dependent on alcohol or drugs, anywhere in India; NMBA now covers all districts.
• You are a family member of someone with substance dependence and need counselling or a referral.
• You are a student or young person looking for awareness material, counselling or peer support on a school, college or university campus.
• You need a referral to a nearby treatment facility and do not know where to start.

No income test, caste certificate or ration card is applied to a person seeking treatment. Calling 14446 costs nothing.

Who cannot apply for grant-in-aid. Individuals cannot apply for funding under NAPDDR. The grant-in-aid route is only for institutions. Unregistered groups, organisations without audited accounts for the required preceding years, organisations lacking the prescribed infrastructure or qualified staff, and those without a NITI Aayog NGO Darpan unique ID are not eligible to receive grant-in-aid.

What services does NAPDDR fund?

According to the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, NAPDDR supports these service delivery models:

• Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts (IRCAs); residential facilities offering detoxification, counselling, therapy and follow-up.
• Outreach and Drop-In Centres (ODICs): non-residential centres providing screening, counselling, referral and a safe space, particularly for people who use drugs and are not ready for residential treatment.
• Community-based Peer-Led Interventions (CPLI): peer-led programmes for vulnerable adolescents and young people.
• District De-Addiction Centres (DDACs): district-level treatment infrastructure.
• Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs); units set up in government hospitals, bringing addiction treatment into the mainstream health system.

According to the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, the network supported under NAPDDR now includes about 347 IRCAs, 74 ODICs, 46 CPLIs and 71 District De-Addiction Centres run through NGOs, alongside 117 ATFs in government hospitals. On the awareness side, Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan reports that more than 16.5 crore people have been sensitised against substance abuse since 2020, with a strong focus on youth in schools, colleges and university campuses.

How much financial assistance does NAPDDR provide?

NAPDDR meets up to 90 per cent of the approved expenditure of an implementing agency. For the North-Eastern States, Sikkim and Jammu & Kashmir, the share rises to 95 per cent of total admissible expenditure. Up to 100 per cent funding is available in special cases where organisations work in underserved areas.

The remaining share is contributed by the implementing organisation or the State Government. For the person receiving treatment, services at a NAPDDR-supported centre are free.

What documents are required under NAPDDR?

How to apply for help or funding under NAPDDR

If you or a family member needs help:

1. Call the national toll-free de-addiction helpline 14446, available across India, for counselling and a referral.
2. Ask the counsellor to identify the nearest IRCA, ODIC, District De-Addiction Centre or Addiction Treatment Facility in a government hospital.
3. Visit the referred centre — services at NAPDDR-supported centres are free to the person seeking help.
4. Use the NMBA 2.0 app or nmba.dosje.gov.in to locate facilities and reach the MANAS mental health helpline as well.

If your organisation wants grant-in-aid:

1. Register your organisation on the NITI Aayog NGO Darpan portal and obtain the unique ID.
2. Create a login on the Ministry's grants portal at grants-msje.gov.in/ngo-login.
3. Select the NAPDDR scheme and the component you want to run: IRCA, ODIC, CPLI, DDAC or ATF.
4. Upload your registration certificate, audited accounts, annual reports, infrastructure details and staff qualifications.
5. Submit the proposal for recommendation by the State Government or district administration, which is part of the appraisal chain.
6. Track the application through the portal; sanctioned institutions are then monitored in real time through the NMBA 2.0 system.

What does Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan do on the ground?

Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan works on three pillars rather than a single benefit transfer, which is why it looks different from most schemes on this site.

Awareness. NMBA targets young people where they already are, schools, colleges, higher educational institutions and university campuses, on the premise that first use typically begins in adolescence. Campaigns are run through educational institutions, youth volunteers and community events in every district.

Identification and outreach. NMBA works to reach and identify the dependent population, which is the hardest step in drug demand reduction, since stigma keeps most families from approaching a hospital. Outreach and Drop-In Centres and peer-led interventions exist specifically to make first contact low-threshold and non-judgemental.

Treatment and capacity building. NMBA focuses on counselling and treatment facilities in hospitals and rehabilitation centres, alongside capacity-building programmes for the service providers who staff them, counsellors, outreach workers and medical personnel.

Institutional monitoring. The NMBA 2.0 app was launched to strengthen monitoring and institutional coordination under NAPDDR. Its most significant reform is real-time monitoring of Grant-in-Aid institutions, which addresses a long-standing weakness where centres drew funding without verifiable service delivery. The app also puts the national de-addiction helpline and the MANAS mental health helpline in users' hands directly.

How to check the status of an NAPDDR grant application

1. Log in to grants-msje.gov.in/ngo-login with your organisation's credentials.
2. Open the NAPDDR application and check the appraisal stage: state recommendation, ministry appraisal or sanction.
3. Follow up with the State Social Justice department for applications pending at the state recommendation stage, since that is where most delays occur.

Why NAPDDR applications and referrals fail

• Organisation not registered or lacking a NGO Darpan unique ID.
• Audited accounts missing for the required preceding years.
• Infrastructure or staffing below the prescribed norm for the component applied for.
• No state recommendation, which stalls the proposal before it reaches the Ministry.
• For individuals, the most common barrier is not eligibility but stigma and delay. The reason NMBA puts so much weight on awareness in schools and campuses.

Help and grievance redressal

• National toll-free de-addiction helpline: 14446
• NMBA portal: nmba.dosje.gov.in
• Department of Social Justice and Empowerment: socialjustice.gov.in
• NGO grants portal: grants-msje.gov.in/ngo-login

Calling 14446 is free and confidential. Treatment at a NAPDDR-supported centre is free: no centre receiving grant-in-aid may charge a beneficiary for the funded services.