New Delhi: Targeting drug trafficking networks, mandating financial investigations in major cases, and cracking down on clandestine drug manufacturing are among key priorities outlined in the government’s three-year drug control vision document unveiled Friday by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
He was chairing a meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) in New Delhi.
Sharing the roadmap for Narcotics Control, the home minister said that there is a need for a time-bound national strategy to substantially dismantle the narcotic drugs ecosystem and protect future generations through coordinated action against trafficking, abuse, illicit finance and organised criminal networks.
Speaking at the event, Shah said that more than “40 ministries, central agencies, state governments, district administrations, educational institutions, civil society organisations and citizens will work together under a common national framework against drugs”.
“Enforcement efforts will shift from targeting individual carriers to identifying, investigating and dismantling complete drug trafficking networks, including suppliers, financiers, handlers, facilitators and organised criminal syndicates,” he said.
He further said that a mission-mode campaign will identify and dismantle “100 major interstate and transnational drug cartels through intelligence-led investigations, coordinated operations, financial disruption and effective prosecution.”
Shah also launched the ‘Online Drugs Disposal Fortnight Campaign’, under which a target has been set to destroy more than Rs 6,000 crore worth of narcotic substances weighing 2,09,500 kilograms.
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Money trail
Stressing on the financial investigation in major drug cases, Shah said that attachment of illicit assets and enhanced use of PITNDPS (Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act will target drug kingpins and dismantle the financial foundations of trafficking networks.
He also stressed on enhancing tech capabilities to counter the menace.
“Advanced surveillance systems, anti-drone technologies, AI-enabled profiling, container scanning and enhanced inter-agency coordination will strengthen interdiction capabilities across land, sea and air trafficking routes,” he said.
Crackdown on labs
As part of the roadmap for the next three years, special focus will also be placed on methamphetamine, mephedrone and emerging synthetic drugs through strengthened precursor controls. Shah said that intelligence-led operations and disruption of clandestine manufacturing and trafficking networks will have to be actively pursued.
Further, there will be a renewed focus on coordinated enforcement operations to target clandestine laboratories manufacturing synthetic drugs, Shah said.
He also said that chemical and pharmaceutical industries will be encouraged to adopt voluntary compliance measures and also report suspicious transactions.
“They will be asked to actively assist authorities in preventing diversion of chemicals and pharmaceutical products,” he said.
Shah said that regulatory reforms under the Drugs and Cosmetics framework will be brought which would strengthen “pharmacy oversight, improve traceability and prevent diversion of prescription medicines for abuse as psychotropic substances.”
Shah also highlighted that the NDPS Act and rules will be updated to address emerging challenges.
“The updated act would address regulatory gaps while promoting a more reformative approach towards persons consuming drugs or suffering from addiction,” he said.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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