Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the Centre's zero-tolerance policy towards narcotics is showing results, pointing out that there were seizures of 3.3 lakh kg drugs and a 260 per cent increase in arrests in the 20014-21 period compared to 2006-13.

Making it clear that the drug problem was more in Punjab, a border state, he asserted the Centre stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the state government in the fight against the drug menace. Shah said the government is holding talks with all stakeholders to make laws more stringent and has taken a proactive approach to connect with the states in the anti-narcotics efforts.

Eliminating the scourge is necessary to achieve the objective of a healthy society and prosperous nation. Also, it was important from the security point of view as ''the dirty money generated from the drug trade is used in activities against the country'', Shah said.

He was speaking after inaugurating a two-day national conference on drug trafficking and national security organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCC). ''Everyone says the drug problem is more in Punjab, which is a border state. Therefore, we will have to make more efforts. ''If the state government allots land, the Centre will set up a forensic lab in Amritsar and a small centre of NCB for training purposes,'' he said. ''...We have to make joint efforts to fight this problem... The Government of India stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Punjab government to fight the drug menace. We have to pull out the youth of Punjab from the drug menace,'' said Shah. Shah said when Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014, the Centre adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards narcotics.

The fight against drugs, which was progressing swiftly and in the right direction, has started showing results, he said, Shah said 1.52 lakh kg drugs were confiscated during 2006-2013 while 3.3 lakh kg drugs were seized in the 2014-2021 period. Between 2006-2013, Rs 768 crore worth of drugs were seized while between 2014-21, Rs 20,000 crore worth of drugs were seized, he said.

Shah said there has been a 200 per cent increase in the number of cases registered. During the past seven years (2014-2021), there has been a 260 per cent increase in arrests made, he said. ''In this fight, bringing states together and taking on this scourge with synergy is very important,'' he said.

He said that the drugs have an adverse impact not only on those consuming them but also on society, the economy and the country's security. ''We have to weed it out completely,'' he said.

Coinciding with the conference, nearly 31,000 kg of drugs were destroyed by the NCB teams in Delhi, Chennai, Guwahati and Kolkata. Shah said various ministries, including Home, Education, Social Justice and Empowerment and Health, in coordination with various agencies, including the NCB, have joined hands in the battle against drugs. He said the Home Ministry has adopted a multi-pronged approach to prevent inimical forces from using ''the dirty money'' generated from the drug trade against anti-India activities. ''We have adopted a proactive approach to connect the states with it (the fight against drugs),'' he said. ''The results are encouraging and it shows that it isn't a problem that can't be weeded out completely,'' said Shah, stressing that all agencies should complement each other's efforts.

For coordination among various central and state agencies, the Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) mechanism was set up by MHA in the year 2016 to conduct regular meetings. This NCORD system has been restructured to four tiers up to the district level by MHA in 2019 for better coordination and cooperation and meetings are held regularly, said Shah. ''We have to give more thrust at the district level... if the desired results have to be achieved,'' Shah noted. Pointing to the presence of chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana as well as the Punjab governor at the conference, he urged them to devote at least three hours a week and a day a month to the narcotics issue. ''Till the time we do not take this approach and till the time this culture does not start from our office, it cannot percolate down below,'' he said. He expressed satisfaction that 21 states have set up an anti-narcotics task force. He said the darknet and cryptocurrency are linked to the narcotics trade and the Home Ministry has recently set up a task force in this regard.

NEED TO PUT UP A JOINT FIGHT TO BREAK THIS NETWORK, SAYS HARYANA CM

In his speech, Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar said that drug addiction and drug trafficking are a matter of concern for the entire world and the problem is not limited to any one country. He said that due to various reasons not only our youth, but children are also falling prey to substance abuse.  He said that if the one state police take strict action against drug peddlers and those involved in illegal drug trafficking, then these drug dealers and peddlers shift to neighbouring states.

“The network of drug dealers is spread all over the country. Law enforcement agencies of various states are putting up a tough fight to break this network. However this problem can be curbed if the law enforcement agencies of different states work untidily with mutual coordination,” said Khattar.  He said that according to the decisions taken in the earlier conferences on the issue of drug smuggling and national security, Haryana has  not only taken effective steps, but their results are also coming. More than 200 NDPS Act cases are registered in Haryana every month. Till June 30, 1913 cases were registered in the state in which 2661 accused were arrested.  Also, till June 2022, around Rs 32 crore recovered from 253 drug smugglers has been seized and the process of confiscation of property worth Rs 13 crore is going on, he said.

The Chief Minister said that the State Police has been directed to thoroughly investigate every case and tighten the noose of those involved in this illicit trade. As a result of this, Haryana Police has succeeded in nabbing drug smugglers even from the inaccessible areas of remote states like Telangana, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.

HIMACHAL GOVT HAS ADOPTED ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY TO CURB DRUG PROBLEM: CM

Addressing the conference on Drug Trafficking and National security held under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Himachal Chief Minister Jairam Thakur said that the state government had adopted a zero tolerance policy towards complete eradication of social evils like smuggling of psychotropic substances, drugs etc.

Thakur said that under the policy of zero tolerance against drugs, strict action was being ensured against the producers and suppliers of drugs with the aim of bridging the network from the point of origin of the drugs to the point of destination. He said that under this policy, the State Drug Crime Control Unit had been setup at the state level.

Thakur said that proper use of technology was being made against drugs in Himachal Pradesh, adding that the toll free drug prevention helpline number 1908 had been launched by the state government in the year 2019. The main objective of this helpline was to encourage the general public to share information about drug traffickers and to provide counseling to drug addicts and their parents regarding de-addiction. The identity of the informers was being kept secret.

He said that the State Government had also started a mobile app Drug Free Himachal in the year 2019. He said that on this app people could provide information about drug trafficking, its sale and use, with the Police department without revealing their identity. This app had been downloaded by 42000 citizens and so far 2194 information against drugs had been received on this app. Based on this information, cases had been registered against drug smugglers.

The Chief Minister said that a detailed policy was being prepared by the State Government for prevention of drug production, its smuggling and consumption and alternative development programs for rehabilitation, de-addiction etc. He said that for better coordination between various departments against drug addiction, to make people aware in this direction and to train the stakeholders a Nasha Nivaran Board had also been set up by the state government. He said that along with organizing special awareness camps in the state, drug prevention committees have been constituted at the police station level. In the last four years, about 10 lakh people have been made aware about the ill effects of drugs by these committees, he added.

PUNJAB CM BATS FOR UNIFIED ACTION BY STATES TO END NARCO-GANGSTER-TERRORIST NEXUS

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday advocated unified action by states to curb the narco-gangster-terrorist nexus. In his address during a conference on drug trafficking and national security chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Chief Minister said that it is the high time that all the states must act in unison with each other to combat this menace. He unequivocally said that the states should not indulge in credit war but focus on eliminating the gangsters, drug smugglers and terrorists. Bhagwant Mann said that a foolproof strategy should be evolved by the states and it should be implemented flawlessly to get the desired results.

Mann described this nexus as a major threat to the security, sovereignty and integrity of the country. He said that this nexus needs to be eliminated at the earliest for safeguarding the interests of our coming generations. Bhagwant Mann said that it is the high time that all the states must sink their differences and act sternly against the nexus.

The Chief Minister also offered fulsome support and cooperation to the Union government for setting up a Forensic laboratory in the state. He said that despite being a border state with a huge threat of smuggling of drugs, weapons and others from the other side of barbed wire, Punjab does not have any such laboratory to check drugs. Bhagwant Mann said that the state government will leave no stone unturned for setting up this laboratory.