Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said India stands at a critical turning point in the fight against narcotics, with the next three years set to determine whether drug addiction is defeated or gains further ground.
Chairing the 10th apex-level meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in the national capital, Shah said the battle against drugs must be won through firm determination and collective efforts to safeguard the country’s future over the next 100 years.
Home Minister said that a ruthless approach should be maintained towards those involved in drug trafficking and a sympathetic approach towards the victims of drugs.
He added that it is our compassion and goodwill that can reconnect these children with a normal life. We have to hold their hand and guide them back onto the right path.
He emphasized that this fight cannot be waged by any single department, state, government, or individual, asking all the states and their concerned departments to come together on a single platform.
Shah said that in this fight against the menace of drugs and addiction, those people must be involved who inspire the public, the youth who will shape the nation’s future, and our women power.
Shah emphasized that the issue of narcotic drugs is not merely a matter of law and order or public health, but is something deeply connected to the country’s internal security, social stability, protection of economic interests, and the future of youth and, the nation.
Shah also launched the ‘Online Drugs Disposal Fortnight Campaign’ for the destruction of narcotics weighing 2,09,500 kg and valued at around Rs 6,000 crore.
Shah said that along with drug trafficking, organized crime, narco-terror financing, and the funding of cross-border terrorist networks, this problem has also evolved into an Evolving Narco-Terrorism Ecosystem.
He said that for the internal security of our country, the protection of economy, and the future of youth, this menace must be fully curbed.
The HM said that geographically the country is situated between the ‘Death Triangle’ and the ‘Death Crescent,’ and drug traffickers have made the fight even more challenging by adopting advanced methods such as drone-based drops, containerized cargo through sea routes, the Darknet, crypto payments, order-to-delivery models, parcel shipments, and other similar techniques.
Present day, narco-offenders have become technology-empowered and network-based, he said, adding that they now confront as a form of multi-domain crime.
“Our response to this difficult battle must also be collective and organized, roadmap-based, modern, and intelligence-led. Our approach should be technology-driven, and we must wage a network-centric war with a ruthless approach. Only then will we be able to secure victory against this problem,” he added.
According to HM, the roadmap from 2026 to 2029 prepared to achieve this goal of curbing narcotics is based on four major pillars, that include Enforcement, Intelligence and Operations; Precursors and Synthetic Drug Control; Demand and Harm Reduction; and Capacity Building, Coordination and Monitoring.
He said that the aim is to conduct targeted intelligence-led action against the entire network and destroy it completely.
The roadmap has been prepared keeping in mind the whole of government approach and whole of society approach.
It includes the role of every citizen, but the work of inspiring citizens will have to be done by all governments and secretaries of all central government departments.
He shared that from 2014 to 2026, drugs worth Rs 1,84,000 crore, 1 crore 18 lakh kilograms have been seized, which shows the campaign is moving forward successfully.
