New Delhi, July 17: Terming the Central government’s campaign against drug abuse a “sacred mission” to save future generations, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday urged the states to establish specialized courts against drugs and conduct their prosecution in a fast-track mode.
Speaking at the Regional Conference on ‘Drug Trafficking and National Security’ here in the national capital, the Minister also said that harsher punishment will act as a stronger deterrent as it will send a stronger message. Shah added that the confiscation of assets of those involved in the illicit drug trade should be increased, and emphasized that public shaming and boycott of these individuals will discourage others from joining this trade.
The Minister stressed the need to move “ruthlessly” towards the confiscation of assets.
For this, Shah said, “Until we strengthen the Forensic Science Labs (FSL), the prosecution will not progress.”
He emphasized that this is a question of initiative, not resources.
“Similarly, for the eradication of illegal cultivation, especially in the northern regions, the Chief Ministers of those states need to pay special attention.”
The Union Home Minister said that our campaign against drug abuse is a “sacred mission to save the future generations of the country, to keep the nation safe, and it should be our top priority.”
The Minister made the appeal as Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Vinay Kumar Saxena, the Governors of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieutenant Governors of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Chief Ministers of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh attended the conference.
The Minister of State for Home, Odisha also participated in the conference. The Union Home Ministry, the Director General of NCB, and senior officials from various security agencies and related ministries and departments of the Government of India also attended the conference.
In the presence of the Union Home Minister, more than 1.40 Lakh kg of narcotics worth Rs 2,378 crore were destroyed in different parts of the country by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in coordination with the Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of all states, which is a record for a single day.
Union Home Minister said that a total of 1,250 cases were registered between 2006 and 2013, while 3,700 cases have been registered in the nine years from 2014 to 2023, which shows an increase of 200 per cent.
“A total of 1,360 arrests were made earlier, which has now gone up to 5,650, which shows an increase of 300 per cent. The quantity of drug seized was earlier 1.52 lakh kg, which has now increased by 160 per cent to 3.94 lakh kg,” said the Minister.
He said that drugs worth Rs 5,900 crore were destroyed between 2006 and 2013, while drugs worth Rs 18,100 crore were seized and destroyed between 2014 and 2023, this shows the success of our campaign.
Shah further said, “Now, not only in India but also at the international level, we have replaced the term ‘Golden Triangle’ and ‘Golden Crescent’ with ‘Death Triangle’ and ‘Death Crescent”’.
He said that the name “Golden Triangle” may be applicable to drug traffickers, but for those who are in favour of controlling drug usage, the appropriate terms are “Death Triangle” and “Death Crescent.”
Shah added that this approach is not just symbolic, it represents the intensity and direction of our fight against drugs. He said that there is a need for constant vigilance for the elimination of drugs.
He appealed to all to lay emphasis on the continuity of NCORD meetings to be held in the State and Union Territories for better coordination.
The Minister also said that today a total of more than 1,40,288 kg of drugs have been destroyed and all the states, especially the Narcotics Contro Bureau, deserve accolades for this.
He said that under this campaign drugs worth Rs 2,378 crore have been destroyed today, which is a record for the highest quantity of drugs destroyed in a single day. The drugs destroyed on Monday include 6,590 kilograms by NCB’s Hyderabad unit, 822 kilograms by Indore and 356 kilograms by Jammu.
Along with this, various law enforcement agencies of different states also destroyed a total of 1,44,122 kilograms of drugs, including 1,486-kilogram drugs in Assam, 229 kilograms in Chandigarh, 25 kilograms in Goa, 4,277 kilograms in Gujarat, 2,458 kilograms in Haryana, 4,069 kilograms in Jammu and Kashmir, 1,03,884 kilogram in Madhya Pradesh, 159 kilograms in Maharashtra, 1,803 kilograms in Tripura and 4,049 kilograms in Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)
