New Delhi, March 2023.
From
improving coordination between different government agencies to enhancing
vigils across the coast line and destroying illicit cultivation of poppy and
cannabis, measures initiated by the Home Minister Amit Shah are set to make
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “drug-free India” dream a reality well within
the “AmritKaal” deadline.
Among
the prominent measures that include strengthening the institutional framework,
ensuring co-ordination with NARCO agencies and launching a massive awareness
campaign to sensitise common people are already yielding results. The value of
overall seized drugs rising to Rs 22,000 crore during the 2014-2022 period,
more than 30 times the value reported during the last eight years (2006-2013)
of the UPA regime.
According
to official data, during the 2014-2022 period, a total of 3,544 cases have been
registered against those involved in the drug business, nearly double the
number reported during the 2006-2013 period. Also, the number of persons
arrested trebled compared with the eight years of the UPA regime beginning in
2006. At 3.73 lakh kg, the quantity of drugs seized more than doubled.
Shah
believes that drug abuse, if not eliminated, would make country’s youth an
unproductive burden on society. There are enough evidences to show that drug
money finds its way to terror funding.
Shah
launched a special drive to prevent the smuggling of the drug through the sea
route is yielding tremendous results with It is estimated that 60-70% of
narcotics drugs smuggled into India find their way mainly through the sea
route.
Following
Shah’s direction, the Home Ministry has made it mandatory to scan all suspected
containers and directed the ministry of shipping to take necessary steps to
ensure that there was never a let-up. The management of container scanners and
related equipment has also been reminded of the ministry’s zero-tolerance
approach to this issue.
At
the same time, Shah has also ensured that all suspicious financial documents
are analyzed individually and investigationsare done and assets created out of
drug money are seized. In 2022, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) conducted a
financial investigation in 27 such cases in which property worth Rs 16 crore
was frozen.
An
inter-ministerial committee has also been constituted to study the best
practices being followed by other countries on the issue of transnational drug
trafficking through the maritime route.
With
the aim of controlling the international drug mafia, Shah has ensured
coordination with international agencies such as Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA), Australian Federal Police (AFP), and Royal Canadian
Mountain Police (RCMP) among others. While such co-ordinations are yielding
results, bilateral agreements have been signed with 44 countries.
Aimed
at preventing domestic cultivation of illegal drugs, the NCB has destructed
nearly 36,000 acres of poppy cultivation and 82,769 acres of cannabis
cultivation in the last three years. Drones are being used to map and destroy
illicit crops under cultivation in remote hilly areas.