The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has brought four spiritual organizations into its Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA), a national campaign against drug abuse. Adhyatm Vigyan Satsang Kendra, Chinmaya Mission, Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan and Hare Krishna Movement have signed memoranda of understanding with the ministry to expand grassroots work on substance abuse prevention and recovery.
What the partnerships involve
The four organisations have committed to working under the NMBA framework to raise awareness about drug abuse, prevent substance use, support recovery, and mobilize communities. According to the ministry, existing partner organisations under NMBA have already reached more than 34.42 crore citizens with their messaging.
The ministry stated that spiritual and value-based organisations bring several tools to this work:
- Direct community networks and grassroots presence across the country
- Integration of practices like yoga, meditation and spiritual counselling into substance abuse prevention programmes
- Capacity to reduce stigma around addiction and encourage people to seek treatment
- Ability to foster resilience in individuals and families
An anti-drug pledge was administered during the signing ceremony, and the organisations have been asked to administer this pledge at their major public events and programmes. The ministry also promoted registration as a Nasha Mukti Mitra (drug-free volunteer) and taking an e-pledge through the NMBA portal as ways citizens can participate.
The ministry has now partnered with nine spiritual organisations in total. Earlier associations include The Art of Living, Brahma Kumaris, Sant Nirankari Mission, ISKCON, Shri Ram Chandra Mission, All World Gayatri Pariwar, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram and the University of Patanjali.
What this means for you
If you belong to or attend any of these four spiritual organisations, you may encounter information campaigns and pledges about drug prevention. The ministry is attempting to turn substance abuse prevention into a wider social movement by using the trust and reach that spiritual groups have within communities. Individuals interested in volunteering for anti-drug work can register through the NMBA portal.