Illicit drug trade global issue; India can fight it if we pursue with determination, strategy: Shah

Raipur: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the illegal narcotics trade is not only a challenge for India but also a global issue, stressing that the country can combat the menace if it pursues with determination and strategy.

The money generated through the illicit narcotics trade is also used for anti-national activities like spreading terrorism and Naxalism and weakening the country’s economy, he said.

Addressing a meeting at a hotel in Nava Raipur on the scenario of narcotics substances in Chhattisgarh, Shah emphasised the need to adopt four formulas of drug detection, network destruction, culprit detention and addict rehabilitation in achieving success.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to make the country drug-free in 2047 when the 100th year of the country’s independence will be celebrated and gradually the resolution has become the resolution of the 130 crore population. I believe that the resolution of a drug-free India is very important in making a prosperous, safe and glorious India, Shah said.

The illicit drug trade is not only a challenge for India but also a global issue, he said, pitching for the need to raise awareness of this menace.

“This battle is at such a juncture that if we pursue with determination and strategy, we can win this fight,” he said, cautioning, “several countries have lost their fight against it”.

The problem of narcotics in India is not just a problem of illicit drugs, but it is also linked to national security. Besides aiming at destroying youth, the money generated through the trade is also used for anti-national activities like spreading terrorism and Naxalism and weakening the country’s economy, he said.

“It is also our national responsibility to make the country drug-free with a zero-tolerance policy,” he said.

Shah also expressed concerns over the use of narcotic substances in Chhattisgarh.

He said the percentage of sedative use in Chhattisgarh is 1.45 which is more than the national average. Chhattisgarh has reported 4.98 per cent use of ganja which is more than the national average of 2.83 per cent and it is a matter of concern, he said.