Shah's statement underlines the importance of a comprehensive approach to combating the drug menace, focusing on cutting off its financial and operational foundations.
“We will not let even a gram of drugs enter India, nor will we allow India and its borders to be used in any way for drug trafficking. There should be a ruthless approach towards the drug supply chain, a strategic approach towards demand reduction, and a human approach to harm reduction,” said Shah while chairing the 7th apex level meeting of Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD).
Shah congratulated all the agencies for the success achieved in the battle against drugs in the last five years. However, he said that the achievements made till now amount to only 10 per cent of the tasks that should be done.
“The real battle starts now. Until and unless every citizen below 35 years of age decides to join this battle and every citizen above 35 years of age decides to guide, we cannot win this battle. The government can direct the battle, but cannot win by itself. This is the reason this battle needs to be taken to the 130 crore people of the nation. All the agencies, including the ones that are with the state governments, should adopt this goal,” he said.
He said that India has taken the resolution to make Bharat a frontrunner in every aspect by 2047. “But we cannot achieve this goal without making the youth of Bharat free from the menace of drugs. We need to fight this battle with seriousness and take it as a priority. Therefore all of us need to take some time out every week for this job and create a separate vertical and reporting system for it. We have examples of many Western nations. If we fight together and with resoluteness we may win this battle,” he said.
Shah also said that some nations have removed the use of certain drugs from the list of offences. “They have done this because they do not have adequate capacity in the jails to confine the offenders,” he said.
“In the last five years, we carried out this battle through structural, institutional and informational reforms and proceeded through the whole of government approach. The outcome of this approach is very encouraging. From 2004 to 2013 the amount of drugs seized was 1.52 lakh kgs, which increased to 5.43 lakh kgs from 2014 to 2024. The value of drugs increased from Rs 5,933 crore to more than Rs 22,000 crore during this period,” he said.
Shah said that drug addiction debilitates the new generation and swamps families with an inferiority complex. “The drug trade is now associated with narco-terror posing a serious threat to the security of the nation. This trade also strengthens the channels that weaken our economy. The drug cartels get involved in hawala transactions and tax evasion. This is a multi-layered crime and we need to deal with it harshly,” he said.
He said that the agencies need to continue with the top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top approach and focus on busting the drug network and not on nabbing the ones, who are addicted. “Every small amount of drug seized should be traced back to its origin and every big consignment should be investigated to trace the possible peddlers,” he said.
Stating that synthetic drugs are a big problem, Shah said, “Many illegal labs have been busted. I appeal to the agencies to find out more such labs in their states. We also need to determine that neither a gram of drugs enters Bharat nor a gram of drugs is sent to other countries through Bharat. We are a part of the world and cannot win this battle in isolation.”
“Within the nation, we need to continue with our integrated battle. We need to make the NCORD meetings the forums for decisions and reviews. Every district needs to fix its goal and review its achievements. They need to keep track of how many youths have been sent to rehabilitation centres and how many cases of connivance of drug trade and economic offences have been unearthed. They need to make these meetings outcome-based and result-oriented and need to frame their strategies according to local needs,” he said.
Regarding the sharing of information, Shah said that agencies in India have adopted the policy of need-to-know, “but now it should be changed to duty to share.”
“Bharat is an independent nation. We should trust our system. We need to continue with a ruthless approach to bust the drug supply chain, a strategic approach to demand reduction and a human approach to harm reduction,” he said. The Home Minister also launched the National Narcotics Helpline ‘MANAS’ (Madak Padarth Nisedh Asuchna Kendra) boosting India’s fight against drugs.
“Today Manas portal has been launched, the capacity building for the centre of excellence for narcotics control has been going on and Mission Spandan has been started for a movement against drugs. We need to ensure that these initiatives percolate to every unit in the states and districts that can accelerate them. I appeal to form Joint Coordination Committees at the state level and strict review of financial investigations at the state level and to inform them of the central agencies of the Finance Ministry. I also appeal to the central agencies to file suo moto cases. The states need to spend a chunk of their budgets on narcotic forensics. Forensic Science University is working on a Swadeshi, a cheap forensic narcotics testing kit that will help agencies file cases of drugs. Secretaries need to issue orders to enhance the awareness about the Manas portal and also its use,” he said.
Home Minister Shah also virtually inaugurated the Zonal Office of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Srinagar. Shah released NCB’s ‘Annual Report 2023’ and the Compendium on ‘Drug-Free India.’
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