Srinagar, Jul 28: A total of 7,730 drug traffickers were arrested in Jammu and Kashmir over the last three calendar years, while 1,03,716 drug users were treated and rehabilitated in the Union Territory during the same period under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA), the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The figures were placed on record in response to an unstarred question by MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, who had sought details of de-addiction centres, awareness camps, and rehabilitation services set up in J&K under the anti-drug campaign. Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment B.L. Verma gave the reply.
According to data tabled by the ministry, 3,072 traffickers were arrested in 2023, 2,158 in 2024, and 2,500 in 2025. On the treatment side, 35,639 drug users were treated and rehabilitated in 2023-24, 39,711 in 2024-25, and 28,366 in 2025-26 so far — adding up to 1,03,716 over the three years.
Alongside the enforcement and treatment numbers, the ministry said 31,136 awareness programmes were conducted in J&K over the three years, sensitising a cumulative 1.01 crore people. The year-wise break-up shows fluctuation in activity: 18,939 programmes were held in 2023-24 reaching just over 10 lakh people, falling to 5,851 programmes in 2024-25 even as the number sensitised jumped to nearly 85 lakh, before dropping again to 6,346 programmes in 2025-26.
Separately, the ministry noted that since NMBA’s launch on August 15, 2020, more than 1.20 crore people have been sensitised in J&K in all, including over 69.14 lakh youth and 51.20 lakh women, with 8,565 volunteers — called “Nasha Mukti Mitra” — having joined the campaign in the Union Territory.
Infrastructure on the ground
The ministry’s reply listed the treatment infrastructure available in J&K under the Centrally Sponsored National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR). This includes 21 Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs) set up in government hospitals across all districts, from Anantnag and Baramulla to Jammu, Udhampur and Reasi, in collaboration with the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre at AIIMS, New Delhi.
Beyond the hospital-based ATFs, the Department is also supporting one Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCA), six District De-Addiction Centres (DDACs), three Outreach and Drop-In Centres (ODICs), and two Community-based Peer Led Intervention (CPLI) programmes for adolescents, run through NGOs including the J&K Society for the Promotion of Youth and Masses and the National Educational Society and Social Welfare Organisation.
The government also pointed to its toll-free de-addiction helpline, 14446, which has received more than 4.6 lakh calls nationally, including over 11,000 from Jammu and Kashmir.
How the campaign is monitored
On the mechanism to assess NMBA’s effectiveness, the ministry said implementation is reviewed through monthly meetings with states and UTs, “Chintan Shivirs,” and national-level conferences, with states urged to set up NMBA committees at the state, district and block levels. The reply said the campaign has led to sustained awareness generation, increased community participation, and improved outreach for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, though it did not cite an independent evaluation of outcomes.
The NMBA was launched in 272 districts identified as most vulnerable, based on inputs from the Narcotics Control Bureau and findings of the first National Survey on drug use, and was extended to all districts of the country in August 2023.
