HM Amit Shah says war against drugs must be fought through concerted effort

NEW DELHI: Union Home minister Amit Shah spoke at the inaugural session of the second National Conference of the Heads of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) in New Delhi on September 16. The two-day meet, where ANTF heads from 36 states and Union Territories and other government stakeholders participated, emphasised strengthening measures in India’s anti-narcotics efforts.

In his address, Amit Shah launched the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Annual Report-2024 and inaugurated the Online Drug Disposal Campaign. He outlined the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of a drug-free India, reiterating that the war against drugs must be fought through a concerted effort between the NCB, Ministry of Home Affairs, state governments, and all concerned departments. He cautioned that the success of this mission is pivotal to developed India by 2047 and how imperative it is for the country to shield its young generation from the harms of narcotics.

Shah proposed a tougher strategy to take on small drug peddlers as well as big cartels, appealing to states to concentrate on dismantling drug chains at entry points, distribution centers, and street-level sales points. He requested they use sophisticated technologies such as analysis of darknet, tracking of cryptocurrencies, and machine learning algorithms to hit these cartels.

Shah also highlighted the requirement of a national-level integrated strategy, referring to the Drug-Free India campaign, which is presently running in 372 districts and engages 10 crore individuals and 3 lakh schools. He underscored that the campaign must reach every district and school.

The Home minister also emphasized the need for coordinated efforts between law and order agencies, especially the NCB, CBI, and state police, to deal with the escalating threat of international drug trafficking. He appreciated the efforts of the CBI in bringing back fugitives engaged in narcotics trade and urged smooth deportation procedures to bring foreign criminals to book.

Shah recognized great strides in breaking up drug cartels and eliminating confiscated narcotics but cautioned that synthetic drug laboratories are a growing menace. He called on ANTF leaders to remain vigilant and destroy them so they don’t spread synthetic drugs further.