Shah unveils roadmap for drug-free India by 2029
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants a drug-free youth to help lead India to Viksit Bharat by 2047. He also announced that the Government has created a detailed three-year plan to make the country drug-free by 2029.
After leading a high-level meeting on narcotics with Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the state government, Shah told reporters that the Modi Government is determined to end the drug problem with the same determination it used against Naxalism and terrorism. Shah said, “It is Narendra Modi’s objective that drug-free youth power will lead to Viksit Bharat in 2047.” He called the years 2026 to 2029 a “mission mode” phase, with set timelines, clear responsibilities for each ministry, measurable goals, and quarterly reviews.
The Home Minister said that fighting narcotics is no longer seen as just a routine law-and-order issue. He explained, “Before 2014, the fight against narcotics was largely conducted in small units and isolation. Agencies were often satisfied catching small-time accused. Our Government is making the fight a national security priority.”
Shah also connected the drug trade to terrorism, saying that “dirty money” from narcotics funds terror groups and that narco-terror is now a global problem.
Since 2019, he said, the government has improved systems, broken up networks, disrupted financial links, and increased support for victims.
The 2026- 2029 roadmap rests on four pillars: intelligence- and operations-based enforcement; control of precursor chemicals and synthetic drugs; demand and harm reduction; and capacity building and coordination. Under enforcement, the government has set targets of dismantling 100 international and inter-state drug networks, bringing back 100 narcotics-related fugitives and destroying 100 clandestine laboratories.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and state agencies will investigate finances in every major drug case and create files on major offenders. To reduce demand, the campaign plans to reach 50 crore people. One lakh “Nashamukti Mitras” will be trained through the NCC, NSS, and My Bharat programs. Schools and colleges will be made drug-free, and the number of de-addiction centres will be increased to 1,751, with support from about 10,000 volunteers.
Every state will have a fully equipped Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) by March 2027, with full support from the central government for training and resources. Forensic reports will be given within 30 days. Shah pointed to drug seizure numbers to show stronger action: 26 lakh kilograms of drugs were seized from 2004 to 2014, compared to over 1.19 crore kilograms from 2014 to 2026.
Shah compared the fight against drugs to other security challenges. He said terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir is almost gone and the region is developing. In the Northeast, over 10,000 young people have given up arms. Naxalism, which lasted for fifty years, “has become a thing of the past.” Shah said, “We have eradicated Naxalism and will deal with the menace of narcotics in the same manner.”
The Home Minister praised Goa for implementing the three new criminal laws, saying the conviction rate has increased from 22 per cent to 53.2 per cent. He also mentioned the 1930 helpline as a useful tool against cybercrime and asked the media and public to support the national anti-drug campaign. Shah said he is confident that the whole country will support the three-year effort to protect India’s youth and achieve the goal of a developed nation by 2047.
