Parliamentary proceedings: In five years, 295% rise in the number of people seeking de-addiction treatment, govt. data shows
The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment tabled comprehensive data on its National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, showing that various types of de-addiction centres supported by the Centre had treated 2.08 lakh people in 2020-21. This number had risen to over 8.23 lakh in 2024-25.
The number of people seeking treatment for addiction from these centres has been consistently increasing in the last five years, even as government set up about 288 new de-addiction facilities in the same time period.
This data on the increasing number of people seeking treatment for de-addiction comes as the Social Justice Ministry is preparing to launch a nationwide survey to study patterns of substance use and abuse in the country. This survey would build upon the one conducted in 2017-18 by the Nation Drug Dependence Treatment Centre at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.
Currently, the Union Social Justice Ministry supports a total of 696 de-addiction facilities of different categories. These include Integrated Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts, Outreach and Drop-in Centres, District De-Addiction Centres (DDACs), Community-based Peer Led Interventions, and Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs). Of these, 288 new ATFs and DDACs have come up in the last five years, government data showed.
The data on people seeking treatment for addiction was put out by the Social Justice Ministry in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal on Wednesday. Minister of State for Social Justice B.L. Verma, in his response said that, in 2024-25, ₹170.26 crore was released to the NGOs and voluntary organisations running the facilities.
The 2017-18 survey on substance abuse had concluded that alcohol was the most used substance, with over 15 crore people estimated to be using it, of which around 30 lakh were estimated to be minors (between 10-17 years of age). This was followed by cannabis, opioids, sedatives, inhalants, cocaine, stimulants such as amphetamine, and hallucinogens, respectively.
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