New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the Centre aims to eradicate the drug trade from India by December 31, 2029, and called for a coordinated national effort to tackle narcotics, which he described as a major threat to the country’s youth and development.
Addressing the third National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) heads of States and Union Territories in New Delhi, Shah said the fight against drugs should become a national mission involving all levels of government and society.
“The time has come to deliver a decisive blow against narcotics,” Shah said, adding that the goal of a drug-free India was critical to achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed India by 2047.
The two-day conference, organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), is being attended by ANTF chiefs from all 36 States and Union Territories, along with representatives of various government departments and agencies involved in drug-control efforts.
Dring the event, Shah launched television awareness campaigns against drug abuse, unveiled the NCB’s redesigned website and laid the foundation stones of new NCB zonal complexes in Lucknow and Dehradun. The best-performing ANTFs from States and Union Territories were also honoured.
Shah said a “Vision Document 2026-2029”, prepared after consultations with more than 35 departments, would guide anti-narcotics efforts over the next three years. The document contains specific targets, timelines and accountability mechanisms and will be periodically reviewed, he said.
According to the Home Minister, the strategy is built around four pillars — enforcement, intelligence and operations; control of precursor chemicals and synthetic drugs; demand reduction and rehabilitation; and capacity building and coordination.
He said more than 100 targets had been identified under the roadmap and stressed that neither the Ministry of Home Affairs nor the NCB could achieve them alone.
Calling for a shift in strategy, Shah urged agencies to move beyond a seizure-centric approach and focus on dismantling entire drug networks through intelligence-based operations, financial investigations and stronger prosecution.
“Our focus should move from meeting to mission, from reporting to results, from seizure to dismantling networks and from case registration to conviction,” he said.
The Home Minister directed states to strengthen investigations into financial and digital trails linked to drug trafficking and target cartels at the points of entry, interstate distribution routes and local retail networks.
He also called for greater use of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act, stronger coordination between investigators and public prosecutors, and a dedicated drive to deport and blacklist foreign nationals involved in drug trafficking.
Shah said India faced growing challenges from synthetic drugs, diversion of precursor chemicals, darknet-based trafficking, cryptocurrency transactions and other emerging technologies being used by international drug syndicates.
To address these threats, he suggested that every state create specialised teams capable of developing innovative responses and sharing successful practices with other states.
The Home Minister said nearly 46,780 “Nashamukt Mitras” had already been registered under a national campaign that aims to create a network of one lakh volunteers. He said these volunteers would visit around 10 lakh schools, colleges and educational institutions to spread awareness about the dangers of drug abuse.
The conference is expected to formulate strategies for strengthening enforcement of anti-drug laws, improving coordination among agencies and enhancing efforts to curb drug trafficking and substance abuse across the country over the next three years.
