India has waged a fierce war on drugs and the central government has no plans to rest until the menace is eradicated from society. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday addressed the "Regional meeting on Drug Trafficking and National Security" in Gandhinagar.
The meeting in Gujarat was attended by chief ministers, deputy chief ministers and administrators from Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.
Shah said the battle against narcotics started in 2019 and the central government has taken a goal-driven approach.
"Narcotics is working like termites to destroy the lives of the youth in our country. On the other hand, the funds raised by narcotics smuggling are being used towards terrorism. To end this menace, all state governments, police departments, and administrations must work with the central government in a united spirit," Shah said in his address on Wednesday. He further said that the battle against narcotics is at a crucial point and success is guaranteed with a united approach.
As a part of India's 75th year of Independence, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) decided to destroy at least 75,000 kg of seized drugs in 75 days, Shah noted in his speech and said the target was achieved well in advance. So far, more than 1,50,000 kg of drugs have been destroyed, Shah said.
Leading by example on the anti-narcotics front, over 12,000 kgs of seized drugs were destroyed in the presence of Amit Shah in Gujarat. It was a total of 12,438.96 kg seized drugs valued at ₹632.68 crores, which sends a clear message of zero tolerance against drug trafficking.
During PM Modi's governance, Shah said that a total of 3.30 lakh kg of drugs valued at Rs 20,000 crore have been seized by the responsible agencies in the last eight years.
Anti-narcotics drive across India
Amit Shah started the mission with the destruction of more than 31,000 kg of drugs in Chandigarh on July 30. More recently, over 40,000 kg of drugs and narcotic substances were destroyed in Guwahati in the Home Minister's presence two weeks ago.
Earlier this month, Shah had said that the Union Government has formulated a two-fold approach to deal with the drug menace which has spread all over the country.
"Strong actions will be taken against those involved in drug peddling, while those who are the victim and fell into this vicious cycle, government machinery will work to bring them into the mainstream of the society," he said during a meeting with Chief Ministers of northeastern states and top police officials in Guwahati.
As per an official statement, the destroyed drugs included 7,900 kg seized in Assam, 3,900 kg in Arunachal Pradesh, 1,500 kg in Meghalaya, 400 kg in Nagaland, 1,800 kg in Manipur, 1,300 kg in Mizoram and 12,500 kg seized in Tripura.
More than 1,65,000 kg of drugs have been destroyed to date and the NCB's target was achieved in less than 60 days, with 15 days to spare. Yet, the fierce battle against the drug menace in India continues.
