Following the 1971 convention on Psychotropic Substances, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India appointed an Expert committee to examine the problem of drugs and alcohol use. The committee submitted its report in 1977, which was then reviewed by the planning commission and central council of health. Following the recommendations by the council, the Drug De-addiction Programme (DDAP) was started in 1985-86. The programme was modified as a scheme in 1994, which was once again revised in 1999.

Under the DDAP, Government of India employed the following activities to curb drugs and alcohol use in the country: “Supply Reduction” activities that focus on reducing the availability of illicit drug within the country. This activity was undertaken by the Ministry of Home Affairs along with Department of Revenue. The second activity was termed as the “Demand Reduction”, which comes under the purview of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. This activity aimed to increase awareness, early detection and provide treatment and rehabilitation for substance users

To fulfill the demand-reduction activities, DDAP provided one-time grant to establish about 122 de-addiction canters in various district hospitals and psychiatry department of various medical institutions with the understanding that the state government will bear the recurring cost. Under this programme, Centre at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS, New Delhi) was designated as the National Drug Dependence Treatment Center (NDDTC), which also functions as a resource Centre of the DDAP, MOH&FW and WHO Collaborating Centre for Managing Substance Use Disorders.