VIJAYAWADA: The State Elite Anti-Narcotics Group for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) and the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), AP state branch, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen efforts to make AP drug-free on Friday.
Representatives of the two organisations signed and exchanged the MoU at the EAGLE headquarters in Mangalagiri.
EAGLE Chief Ake Ravi Krishna expressed his confidence that the MoU with the IRCS will boost measures against trafficking and drug abuse in the State. He said the anti-narcotics plan was based on four pillars - preventive awareness, intelligence-driven enforcement, de-addiction and community participation.
EAGLE had so far registered 2,020 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and seized more than 65,000 kg of ganja. Under Operation Chaitanya, joint efforts by the police, EAGLE and district officials had resulted in elimination of ganja cultivation in ASR by 2025.
Ravi Krishna said 29,979 tribal farmers had been provided alternative and sustainable livelihood opportunities, while horticulture and other sustainable crops were introduced in 29,839 acres previously used for ganja cultivation. Government schemes were converged to provide `475 crore financial aid to tribal communities.
He said Operation Vajraprahar was targeting drug hotspots and dismantling street-level networks using drug detection kits. Under Operation Safe Campus Zone, 40,000 shops had been verified, with the target of making educational institutions drug-free by 2029.
IRCS Secretary and CEO AK Parida said the partnership would become a continuous movement, with EAGLE handling enforcement and IRCS focusing on youth engagement. Ravi Krishna urged people to report drug use on 1972.