National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use

The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC) under All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi to conduct a National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use.

Key Points:

• The proposed National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use will provide estimates of proportion and absolute number of Users and Dependent individuals of various psychoactive substances (Drugs) in all the states/UTs and at the National level in India.
• It will also help in mapping the presence of services and interventions for drug dependent individuals and identifying the gaps in service delivery.
• Two methodological approaches have been suggested for conducting the National Survey, one being a Household Survey in the general population and the other being a Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) Survey.
• In the Household Survey, approximately 6,00,000 eligible persons will be surveyed across the country.
• In the RDS method, a total of 60,000 drug dependent individuals will be interviewed.
• Focussed Thematic Studies will also be conducted on specific topics or vulnerable populations which are likely to remain underrepresented in the above two approaches.
• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, is the nodal Ministry for drug demand reduction.
• It coordinates and monitors all aspects of drug abuse prevention which include assessment of the extent of the problem, preventive action, treatment and rehabilitation of addicts, dissemination of information and public awareness. The Ministry provides community-based services for the identification, treatment and rehabilitation of addicts through voluntary organizations.