Union Home Minister's Anti-Drug Strategy
Union Home Minister has set a target date of December 31, 2029 to eliminate the drug trade in India. He emphasized the necessity for collective efforts to tackle what he described as the most significant threat to the nation and the world.
Strategic Shift in Anti-Narcotics Approach
- The strategy should transition from merely seizing drugs to dismantling the networks behind drug trafficking.
- Agencies are directed to:
- Deport foreign nationals involved in drug trafficking and restrict their re-entry into India.
- Apprehend fugitive traffickers operating from abroad and bring them to Indian courts.
- Emphasis on financial investigations, tracing digital links, and targeting profits from drug cartels.
Focus Areas for Enforcement
- Breaking the entire trafficking chains.
- Attacking cartels at three levels:
- Entry point.
- Inter-State distribution system.
- Local sales networks within districts.
- District classification into:
- Drug manufacturing or entry zones.
- Transportation corridors.
- Consumption areas.
Legislative and Operational Enhancements
- Increased use of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act.
- A comprehensive roadmap from investigation to conviction coordinated with public prosecutors.
- Plugging border loopholes and drug production center gaps.
- Incorporating intelligence into policing culture.
The National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) highlights the transition from mere meetings to missions, aiming for network dismantling and case conviction. The event, attended by ANTF heads from 36 States and Union Territories, strengthens the "whole of government approach" for effective drug trafficking combat over the next three years.
