Parliament Question: Assistance under Centrally Sponsored Schemes

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT | LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 417 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.07.2026 ASSISTANCE UNDER CENTRALLY SPONSORED SCHEMES

417. SMT. PRATIMA MONDAL:

Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether several organisations working in the field of social justice have raised concerns regarding delays in financial assistance under centrally sponsored schemes and if so, the measures taken by the Government to improve the efficiency and transparency of fund disbursal;

(b) whether Substance abuse has emerged as a growing public health and social concern, particularly among young people, if so, the details thereof and the action taken in this regard;

(c) the manner in which the Ministry is expanding access to de-addiction services and assessing the effectiveness of existing rehabilitation programmes; and

(d) whether manual scavenging continues to be reported despite its legal prohibition and if so, the action taken by the Ministry to identify affected workers and to hold defaulting agencies accountable? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI B.L. VERMA)

(a): The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment implements various Centrally sponsored schemes in the field of social justice wherein financial assistance is released to the State Governments/UT Administrations/Beneficiaries/NGOs. The Department has put in place stringent monitoring mechanism for ensuring that proposals are disposed timely and funds are released in a time-bound manner. A revised Standard Operating Procedure has been put in place for ensuring timely release of funds to NGOs that act as our partners in implementation of centrally sponsored schemes of the Department - NAPDDR (National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction) and AVYAY (Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojna). The revised SOP has simplified and streamlined the process of fund release by reducing several documentation requirements.

(b): The first comprehensive National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India was conducted between December 2017 and October 2018 by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment through National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), AIIMS, New Delhi and the report was published in February, 2019.As per the Survey, the details of drug abuse are as under:

Substance Children & Adolescents Adults (10-1 7years) (18-75years) Prevalence | Estimated no. | Prevalence Estimated no. (in%) of (in%) of users users Alcohol 1.30 30,00,000 17.10 15,10,00,000 Cannabis 0.90 20,00,000 3.30 2,90,00,000 Opioids 1.80 40,00,000 2.10 1,90,00,000 Sedatives 0.58 20,00,000 1.21 1,10,00,000 Inhalants 1.17 30,00,000 0.58 60,00,000 Cocaine 0.06 2,00,000 0.11 10,00,000 ATS 0.18 4,00,000 0.18 20,00,000 Hallucinogens 0.07 2,00,000 0.13 20,00,000 Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, being the nodal Ministry for drug demand’ reduction in the country, formulated and has been implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme "National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR)" to tackle the issue of substance use, under which financial assistance is provided to:- i. State Governments/ Union Territory (UT) Administrations for Preventive Education and Awareness Generation, Capacity Building, Programmes for Drug Demand Reduction by States/UTs etc.

ii. | NGOs/VOs for running and maintenance of Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts (IRCAs), Community based peer Led Intervention (CPLI) for early Drug Use Prevention among Adolescents, Outreach and Drop In Centres(ODIC) and District De-Addiction Centres(DDACs);

iii. | Government Hospitals for Addiction Treatment Facilities(ATF's) At present, 344 IRCAs, 45 CPLIs, 76 ODICs, 145 DDACs and 155 ATFs are being supported by the Ministry under NAPDDR Scheme.

Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) was launched on 15th August 2020 by Department of Social Justice & Empowerment in the identified 272 most vulnerable districts as per the inputs received from Narcotics Control Bureau and the first National Survey. NMBA has been extended to all districts of the country since August 2023 with an aim to reach out to the masses and spread awareness about substance abuse with focus on higher educational institutions, university campuses and schools.

With the constant support of all the States, NMBA has been able to reach and sensitize more than 29.05 crore people, including more than 11.05 crore youth and 7.81 crore women, through extensive awareness and outreach activities conducted across the country.

1.17 lakh Nasha Mukti Mitras have joined the campaign. on —(c): Expansion of de-addiction efforts is a continuous process. There are provisions for establishment of treatment and rehabilitation centres for individuals affected by substance use under the Scheme. At present, 344 IRCAs, 45 CPLIs, 76 ODICs, 145 DDACs and 155 ATFs are being supported by the Ministry under NAPDDR Scheme. These are geo-tagged for the ease of access. NMBA 2.0 mobile app has also been launched through which the user can identify the nearest de-addiction centre enabling quicker referral and improved access to treatment services.

To expand access to de-addiction services, new 55 District De-addiction Centres (DDACs) in the GAP districts across the country during 2024-25 and a total of 21 DDACs were established in FY 2025-26. The number of de-addiction centres and beneficiaries have increased over the years.

Further to assess the effectiveness of existing rehabilitation schemes, third-party evaluation was conducted by M/s Development & Research Services Pvt. Ltd. in December 2024 and Niti Ayog in 2025. According to the evaluation studies, National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) scheme has made significant strides in raising awareness and initiating institutional responses to substance use.

(d): Recently a fresh survey of manual scavengers, as per the provisions of the "Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013" has been conducted during the period February, 2024 to January, 2026 in all districts of the country under which no Manual Scavenger has been found.

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