The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has reaffirmed its commitment to combating substance abuse in Jammu & Kashmir by expanding regional rehabilitation infrastructure and strengthening inter-agency anti-drug coordination. The initiatives are executed under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR).
In a written response to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State Shri B. L. Verma outlined the functional infrastructure currently supporting the Union Territory. Jammu & Kashmir currently operates 21 Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs), six District De-Addiction Centres (DDACs), one Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCA), three Outreach and Drop-In Centres (ODICs), and two Community-based Peer-Led Intervention (CPLI) centres. While the government continuously monitors and establishes new treatment facilities, officials clarified that there is currently no proposal to create combined de-addiction and vocational training facilities in the Jammu region.
Parallel to demand reduction efforts, law enforcement agencies are intensifying measures against illegal drug trafficking through the Ministry of Home Affairs’ four-tier Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) framework. Designed to unify strategy across Apex, Executive, State/UT, and District levels, the NCORD mechanism facilitates seamless data sharing and operational reviews between central and state authorities. Since 2018, Jammu & Kashmir has convened 17 State-Level and 836 District-Level NCORD meetings to monitor local enforcement actions.
Supported by the centralized NCORD Portal a digital platform serving as a knowledge repository across all four tiers the Government continues to integrate law enforcement with healthcare solutions to tackle substance abuse comprehensively.
Written by: Pragna Biswas
Graphics by: Pramit Hazra
