New Delhi, June 26 (UNI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday that the government is firm in its commitment to making India a drug-free nation and is pacing towards achieving this goal with a whole-of-government approach.
Greeting the nation on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Shah on microblogging site X said, “Let us all fortify our resolve to liberate the nation from the scourge of drugs and gift a better world to our future generations.”
Shah said under the leadership of Narendra Modi, the nation is striving for a ‘Drug-Free India’.
In his message on ‘International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking’, the Home Minister congratulated officers and personnel of agencies who are striving to fulfil the Prime Minister’s resolve for a ‘Drug Free India’ and greeted the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for successfully organising the All India ‘Drug Free Fortnight’.
Shah said drugs are a challenge not only to the individual but also to society and national security.
He added that building a ‘Drug-Free India’ is one of the major priorities of the government.
He added that the Modi government has adopted better coordination with a ‘bottom to top and top to bottom approach’ in the fight against drugs.
The Home Minister said, “Working under the policy of ‘zero tolerance’ against drugs, our government is determined to completely eradicate drug addiction. I am happy that with the efforts of the Home Ministry, the establishment of NCORD, and formation of Anti-Narcotics Task Force in the police departments of the states, this fight has gained further momentum and has yielded successful results.”
Shah further stated that the aim is to achieve complete victory by ensuring massive public participation along with all the positive steps taken by the government on narcotics control.
“I request that the countrymen make an important contribution in the government’s fight against drugs. Let us all come together and take a pledge to completely eradicate drugs and build a healthy, happy, and safe society,” Shah said.
On account of the multi-pronged efforts made by the Ministry of Home Affairs to rein in the illegal drug trade, the quantity of narcotics seized increased by almost 100 percent, and the cases registered against those dealing in it increased by 152 percent.
According to the data released by the Ministry, during the period 2006–2013, the number of cases registered was 1257, which shot up three times during 2014–2023 to 3755.
The arrests increased by four times, from 1363 in the 2006-13 period to 5745 in the 2014-23 period. The quantity of seized drugs doubled during the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led regime to 3.95 lakh kg from 1.52 lakh kg seized during 2006-13.
The value of seized drugs jumped 30 times during the Modi government to Rs 22,000 crore from Rs 768 crore achieved in the period 2006-13.
The anti-narcotics agencies also destroyed 12 lakh kg of drugs worth Rs 12,000 crore since the Modi government took over. Till June 2023, NCB conducted a financial investigation in 23 such cases in which property worth Rs74,75,00,531 was frozen, the statement said.
