The initiative – a 100-week campaign featuring weekly awareness activities, launched as a pilot in Kashi, has expanded nationwide under the Kashi Declaration.
- Kashi Declaration, adopted in 2025, sets 5-year roadmap for youth-led drug de-addiction movement and affirms a national consensus to treat substance abuse as a multi-faceted public health and societal challenge.
- It proposes institutional mechanisms including the formation of a Joint National Committee, annual progress reporting, and a national platform for linking affected individuals to support services.
Factors Contributing to the Drug Menace
- Strategic Location: India's proximity to the Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle facilitates cross-border drug trafficking.
- Expansion of Synthetic Drugs: Rising availability of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), synthetic opioids, and new psychoactive substances.
- Organised Crime & Narco-terrorism: Drug trafficking finances organised crime, money laundering, and terrorist networks.
- Adaptive Trafficking Networks: Increasing use of maritime routes, commercial cargo, technology, and encrypted communication by traffickers.
- Judicial Delays: Around 3.96 lakh NDPS cases remain pending, while only 65 exclusive NDPS courts are operational, delaying trials.
Other Government Initiatives
- National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR): Focuses on prevention, awareness, treatment, rehabilitation, and social reintegration.
- Awareness: Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) and Navchetna Modules promote anti-drug awareness.
- Treatment & Rehabilitation: Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts (IRCAs), District De-addiction Centres (DDACs) etc. provide de-addiction and counselling services.
- Law Enforcement: Strengthened through Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD), Anti-Narcotics Task Forces (ANTFs), Joint Coordination Committee (JCC), and National Investigation Agency (NIA).
