NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday called for scaling up action and execution in the fight against drugs right from points of entry and masterminds of the cartels to local sale and distribution level. He also launched the NCB’s drug disposal campaign and destroyed 1.37 lakh kilograms of drugs worth Rs 4,800 crore at 11 locations.Addressing the inaugural session of the second National Conference of the Heads of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of states and UTs in New Delhi, Shah pointed out that while between 2004 and 2013, the quantity of drugs seized was 26 lakh kilograms, valued at Rs 40,000 crore, From 2014 to 2025, this increased to 1 crore kilograms, valued at Rs 1.65 lakh crore.”Between 2004 and 2014, drugs worth Rs 3.63 lakh crore were disposed of, whereas between 2014 and 2025, drugs worth Rs 35.21 lakh crore had been disposed of. During 2004 to 2014, 1.73 lakh people were arrested, while between 2014 and 2025, 7.61 lakh people were arrested,” he added.Shah urged every state to develop a high-level strategy targeting three types of cartels: those operating at entry points, those distributing from entry points to states, and those selling narcotics in smaller areas within states. He also emphasised the need to adopt technologies such as darknet analysis, cryptocurrency tracking, and machine learning models to curb these cartels.Highlighting the importance of involving every district, its police, and education officers in the campaign, Shah also emphasised the need for a joint mechanism involving NCB, CBI, and state police to bring back foreign criminals and fugitives involved in drug trafficking.”PM Narendra Modi’s vision of a drug-free India can only be achieved if all stakeholders, including the NCB, ministry of home affairs, state govts, and ANTF teams, work together with a shared resolve,” he said. He emphasised on the importance of protecting the youth from drugs, stating that they are the foundation of any nation and that hollowing out future generations would lead to the country losing its way.Shah emphasised that the Modi govt was taking ruthless action against both small drug dealers and big drug cartels and stressed upon the need to sensitise religious leaders and youth organisations to join the fight against drugs. He called for a common structure and operational uniformity, exchange of best practices, and development of state-specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).Urging all ANTF chiefs to prepare an anti-narcotics action checklist and review it every three months to ensure that the fight reaches down to the grassroots, Shah emphasised the need for a ruthless approach to break the drug supply chain, a strategic approach for demand reduction, and a humane approach in harm reduction. Shah advocated for establishing a scientific tradition of destroying seized drugs every three months in every state.
