RANCHI: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday announced an ambitious target to make India drug-free by 2029.
This comes after the Centre set March 31, 2026, as a deadline to eliminate Left-Wing Extremism.
The Ministry has appealed to all concerned stakeholders to prepare a three-year roadmap for the period 2026–2029, incorporating a time-bound review mechanism and adopting a 'whole-of-government' approach to dismantle the entire network of illicit drugs, including from source and trafficking routes, distribution and abuse.
The announcement was made in the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai.
He also said that the government has taken multiple steps to strengthen enforcement, improve conviction rates in drug trafficking cases and enhance the tracking of digital and financial transactions linked to narcotics.
Detailing the government’s anti-drug initiatives, Rai said the e-Sakshya portal has been developed to assist police in digitally recording and managing evidence in criminal cases.
The portal is aligned with the new criminal laws aimed at modernising the justice system and enables police officers to document crime scenes, including search and seizure operations, directly through mobile phones.
He added that the platform is expected to bring greater uniformity in investigations across States, thereby improving conviction rates.
The Minister further said that the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS) has been implemented to interlink police stations across the country under a common application software.
The system supports investigations, data analytics, research, policy formulation, and tracking of complaints, as well as antecedent verification requests.
Rai also highlighted the role of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), introduced by the MHA to provide authorised agencies access to financial records such as tax data, bank accounts and suspicious transaction reports from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).
This enables investigating officers to trace money flows linked to drug trafficking and other organised crimes.
Referring to cyber-enabled financial crimes, the Minister said the Sahyog Portal, developed and operated by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), serves as a comprehensive platform for coordination and enforcement actions related to virtual digital asset service providers, including cryptocurrency platforms.
The portal facilitates secure data sharing by service providers, enables asset freezing and tracking, supports the transfer of seized assets, and provides a secure channel for implementing court or competent authority orders.
He went on to add that the FIU’s FINEX portal allows financial institutions to report suspicious transaction records, helping flag activities related to drug trafficking, money laundering and terror financing.
Rai also noted that the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Narcotics Control Bureau to strengthen India’s fight against narcotics.
The collaboration focuses on advanced forensic and cyber-forensic support, research on new psychoactive substances, drug profiling, AI and drone-based forensics, and structured training and capacity-building programmes.