Amit Shah sets a 2029 deadline to uproot drug trade, calls for a united national campaign
The Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced that India would eliminate the drug trade by 31 December 2029, describing narcotics as the most serious threat to both the country and the world. Addressing the third National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force heads in New Delhi, Shah said it was time to deliver a decisive blow through joint action.
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the government has made one firm move after another over the last five years in pursuit of the tough objective of a drug-free India. The campaign has to be strengthened now. Shah referred to recent achievements in overcoming other long-standing problems: terrorism in Kashmir, insurgency in the Northeast, and Naxalism. With the cooperation of the states, the Ministry of Home Affairs has brought under control problems that have troubled the country for decades.
He admitted that the struggle against drugs is the most difficult of all these endeavours. It must not, however, be given up. Shah connected the campaign directly with India's broader future. If the aim is to achieve a Viksit Bharat by 2047, protect the coming generations, and ensure that the country's youth remain linked to national development, he said, the only way is to make India drug-free. The nation has to combat the problem with unity and enthusiasm and succeed.
The address set the tone for the two-day conference arranged by the Narcotics Control Bureau, with delegates from all 36 States and Union Territories, along with representatives of relevant government departments and other stakeholders, taking part.
At the same time, Shah opened the conference and started a series of television advertisements to increase public awareness regarding narcotic substances. He also laid the foundation stones for the NCB's new zonal complexes in Lucknow and Dehradun, extending the Bureau's operational activities to two significant areas. The Home Minister awarded recognition to the ANTFs that had performed best in the various States and Union Territories for their work.
The Home Minister also introduced the NCB's new website to improve information sharing and increase public engagement. The strict political deadline, the practice of acknowledging high-performing units, the introduction of new infrastructure, and the launch of a public awareness campaign all show that the government intends to treat narcotics as a national priority equal to the security problems it says it has already dealt with.
Shah made it clear that incremental progress is no longer sufficient; the aim is now a timely and coordinated attack on the drug trade, with success to be achieved by the year 2029. Whether or not that deadline is met will depend on continued cooperation between the Centre and the States, tougher enforcement actions against trafficking networks, a reduction in demand, and effective rehabilitation.
For now, the Home Minister has brought the campaign to the heart of the national agenda and is asking every State and Union Territory to give it the same urgency that has in the past been reserved for terrorism, insurgency and Left-wing extremism; the conference currently going on is intended to turn that request into a practical plan.
