NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday set a three-year deadline to put in place a comprehensive national mechanism to eradicate the drug menace, calling for a “collective campaign on all fronts” to make India drug-free.
Chairing the 9th apex-level meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in New Delhi, Shah said the fight against drugs must be pursued with urgency and coordination across governments and agencies.
The meeting, organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in hybrid mode, was attended by senior officials from central ministries, state governments and drug law enforcement agencies.
“In the fight against drugs, all departments of the Centre should prepare a roadmap up to 2029 and establish a time-bound review mechanism for its implementation,” Shah said.
He warned that the drug problem was not merely a law-and-order issue but a grave national security threat. “This menace is linked more to narco-terror than to law and order. It is a conspiracy to ruin the coming generations of the country,” Shah said, adding that the health of the youth, their ability to think and perform, and growing social discontent were directly linked to drug abuse.
Announcing a time-bound action plan, Shah said: “From March 31, 2026, we will all together launch a three-year collective campaign against this problem, in which the working methodology of all pillars against drug abuse will be defined, targets will be set, and time-bound reviews will be conducted.”
The high-level meeting reviewed issues such as dismantling drug networks and cartels, hotspot mapping, hawala operations, darknet challenges and the need for 360-degree investigations.
Shah said the government had made significant progress over the past decade. “In the last 11 years, we have achieved considerable success in the fight against drugs. After the reorganisation of NCORD in 2019, we have ensured the path to complete control over this problem,” he said.
Citing data, Shah said that between 2004 and 2013, drugs worth Rs 40,000 crore, amounting to 26 lakh kilograms, were seized. “From 2014 to 2025, drugs worth Rs 1.71 lakh crore, amounting to 1.11 crore kilograms, have been seized,” he said.
He added that action against synthetic drugs had intensified, with an 11-fold increase in the disposal of seized narcotics.
