all the beneficiary artisans. NBCFDC also motivates the State Channelizing Agencies (SCAs) to
      organize or participate in exhibitions to showcase the schemes of the Corporation and also to
      exhibit the diverse products and services for which NBCFDC has provided financial assistance
      to the members of backward classes in different parts of the country through SCAs.
      Social Defence
            In the areas of Social Defence the Ministry is committed towards welfare of older persons
      and rehabilitation of drug addicts. The programmes for the targeted groups are given here.
      National Policy for Older Persons
            The existing National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP) was announced in 1999 to reaffirm
      the commitment to ensure the well-being of the older persons. The Policy envisaged state
      support to ensure financial and food security, health care, shelter and other needs of older
      persons, equitable share in development, protection against abuse and exploitation, and
      availability of services to improve the quality of their lives. The primary objectives were: to
      encourage individuals to make provision for their own as well as their spouse’s old age; to
      encourage families to take care of their older family members; to enable and support voluntary
      and non-governmental organizations to supplement the care provided by the family; to provide
      adequate healthcare facility to the elderly; to promote research and training facilities to train
      geriatric care givers and organizers of services for the elderly; etc.
      National Council for Older Persons
            The government has reconstituted National Council for Older Persons (NCOP) to advise
      and aid the government on developing policies and programmes for older persons. It provides
      feedback to the government on the implementation of the national policy on older persons and
      the specific initiatives for older persons. The NCOP is the highest body to advise and coordinate
      with the government in the formulation and implementation of policy and programmes for the
      welfare of the aged. Under Integrated Programme for Older Persons, financial assistance upto 90
      per cent of the project cost is provided to NGOs for establishing and maintaining old age homes,
      day care centres, mobile medicare units and to provide non-institutional services to older
      persons. In order to have a definite structure as well as regional representation, the Council has
      been reconstituted and renamed as National Council of Senior Citizens (NCSrC) in 2012.
      Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
            The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, was enacted, inter alia, to curb
      drug abuse. Section 71 of the Act provides that the Government may, in its discretion, establish
      as many centres as it thinks fit for identification, treatment, education, after-care, rehabilitation,
      social reintegration of addicts and for supply, subject to such conditions and in such manner as
      may be prescribed, by the concerned government of any narcotic drugs and psychotropic
      substances to the addicts registered with the government and to others where such supply is a
      medical necessity. Accordingly the Department has been supporting Integrated Rehabilitation
      Centre for Addicts (IRCAs) under the Scheme of Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance
      (Drugs) Abuse being run by voluntary organizations.
      Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Policy