Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar has said that the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan has reached out to over 25 crore people to create awareness among the youth about drug abuse.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today, Mr Kumar said that the Ministry has taken various steps to create awareness in view of the rising drug abuse among youth. He said a toll-free Helpline 14446 has been started by the Ministry for providing primary counselling and immediate referral services to persons seeking help for de-addiction. The Minister said, this flagship mass awareness campaign was launched in 272 identified most vulnerable districts in 2020 and has subsequently been extended to all the districts of the country from 2023.