Amit Shah Declares ‘District-Level’ War on Drugs to Achieve ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ by 2029
NEW DELHI: In a decisive shift in India’s battle against the narcotics menace, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Tuesday that the government is decentralizing its anti-drug strategy. By moving the frontline of the war on drugs to the district level, the Ministry of Home Affairs aims to dismantle illicit trafficking networks from the grassroots up, ensuring a more surgical approach to identifying and neutralizing supply chains.
Addressing the third National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) heads in the national capital, the Home Minister emphasized that the time for passive observation has passed. He called for an aggressive, mission-oriented mindset among state-level agencies to ensure India achieves the goal of a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ (Drug-Free India) by 2029.
A Targeted, Three-Tier Cluster Strategy
The new framework relies on a scientific categorization of the country’s districts. According to the Home Minister, every district in India will now be classified into one of three specific clusters based on its vulnerability: zones of drug manufacturing or entry points, transportation corridors used by cartels, and regions identified as high-consumption hubs.
This organizational shift is designed to allow enforcement agencies to execute a multi-layered attack. By tailoring strategies to the specific role a district plays in the narcotics ecosystem, authorities can move beyond generic enforcement. Shah urged state police forces to move away from being reactive, insisting that intelligence gathering must become an integral part of their daily operational culture.
Moving Beyond Seizures to Convictions
A significant portion of the Home Minister’s address focused on moving the metrics of success away from “seizure-centric” data. While large-scale confiscations are important, Shah argued that they represent only a temporary disruption. He mandated that state ANTFs must transition from routine reporting to achieving “total network dismantling.”
“The focus must shift from merely registering a case to ensuring a final court conviction,” Shah stated. To facilitate this, he directed police departments to leverage the PIT-NDPS Act more aggressively and ensure tight coordination between investigators and public prosecutors. By conducting thorough backward and forward investigations, tracing the flow of illicit money, and performing financial audits of suspects, the government aims to choke the funding sources of these criminal cartels permanently.
Tackling Modern Threats: Dark-Net and Synthetic Drugs
The Union Home Minister also addressed the evolving landscape of drug trafficking, which has increasingly moved into the digital realm. Recognizing the dangers posed by synthetic drugs, precursor chemical diversion, and the rise of dark-net markets, Shah called for the creation of specialized, “out-of-the-box” officer teams in every state.
These teams are tasked with mastering the complexities of crypto-currency transactions and dead-drop delivery systems utilized by modern traffickers. Furthermore, Shah set a firm stance on international cooperation and accountability, mandating a rigorous campaign to blacklist and deport foreign nationals involved in India’s drug trade. He also emphasized the need to trace, track, and extradite fugitives who operate from overseas to supply narcotics to the Indian market.
Reiterating the Centre’s unwavering commitment, the Home Minister asserted that India will not permit a single gram of illicit substances to cross its borders, signaling a new, high-intensity phase in the country’s mission to safeguard its future generations from the scourge of addiction.
Disclaimer: This content is auto-generated for informational purposes only.
Source: Read Original News
