States must work in tandem with Centre to fight drug menace: Amit Shah

Chandigarh, July 30

Union Home Minister Amit Shah today said the states must work in tandem with the Centre to fight the scourge of drugs, a problem “afflicting Punjab the most”.

Addressing a conference on ‘Drug trafficking and national security’ here, Shah pointed out the drug problem was more in Punjab and assured full support to the border state in fighting the menace. “The Centre stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Punjab in the fight against drugs. We have to extricate the youth of Punjab from the morass. We will extend whatever help Punjab needs,” he said at the event organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Shah said the Centre would also set up a forensic lab in Amritsar as well as open an NCB training centre. About the steps to weed out the problem, he said the Centre had adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs, which was necessary to achieve the objective of a healthy society and prosperous nation. “In the fight against drugs, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has undertaken several administrative reforms. We have taken a pro-active approach to engage the states,” he said.

Saving the youth

The Centre stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Punjab Government in its fight against the menace. We have to extricate the youth of Punjab from the morass. Amit Shah, Union Minister

The MHA, he said, had created a foolproof mechanism through Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) so that there were no loopholes in the system till the district level. The NCORD portal was also launched today. “Through the portal, all agencies across the country will not only exchange information, but will also share details about best coordination practices,” he said.

Shah said nearly 200 per cent more cases had been registered over the last eight years beginning 2014 compared to 2006-13. A 260 per cent increase had been witnessed in the number of arrests, he said. “The quantity of drugs seized has more than doubled from 1.52 lakh kg between 2006 and 2013 to 3.3 lakh kg between 2014 and 2022. From 2006 to 2013, drugs worth Rs 768 crore were seized while from 2014 to 2021, drugs worth Rs 20,000 crore had been seized and destroyed,” he said.

The Minister said from June to August 15, a 75-day drug eradication campaign was in progress and today, about 31,000 kg of drugs were destroyed in Delhi, Chennai, Guwahati and Kolkata.