Earlier this week in response to questions raised in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, A. Narayanaswamy said that there are just four drug de-addiction centers for women — two in Manipur and one each in Mizoram and Karnataka — supported by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.
According to the latest available data in the National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India, there are an estimated 57.4 lakh women (between ages of 10 and 75) dealing with substance abuse of different kinds across the country. The survey was conducted between December 2017 and October 2018, by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment through the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. The results showed that the leading drug abused by women of this age group was cannabis (34.8 lakh estimated users), followed by opioids (8.53 lakh estimated users), sedatives (5.67 lakh estimated users), and inhalants (4.29 lakh estimated users).
Mr. Narayanaswamy also said the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) already provides for establishing and assisting de-addiction centers.