New Delhi: Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Rattan Lal Kataria on Saturday said that more than 20 crore people in the country are addicted to drugs like cannabis, hash and alcohol or involved in its business or both.
Speaking on the occasion of 'International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking', MoS Rattan Lal Kataria said, "A total of 6 crore people are involved in the business and addiction of drugs but if we include the people who consume alcohol, opium, hash and cannabis then this sum crosses more than 20 crore people."
Rattan Lal Kataria said, "last year on 15 August, we started the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA) in 272 districts and within 10 months, we involved 35 lakhs youths, 6,000 education institutions and 25 lakh women under the program."
"Out of 272 vulnerable districts, which were selected under the NMBA, we have decided to make 100 districts drug-free," he added.
Also read: Punjab's war against drugs still raging
MoS for State for Social Justice and Empowerment said that Punjab has done immensely well in the 18 districts that have been selected under the NMBA. "In the past 10 months since the launch of the Abhiyaan, the NMBA has reached out to 92,000 people including 70,000 youth, 10,000 women and more than 500 educational institutions," said Kataria.
Rattan Lal Kataria said that there 26 voluntary organisations in Punjab receiving grant-in-aid under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment's NAPDDR (National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction) scheme and 10,241 beneficiaries have been benefited under the scheme during the last three years.
