‘Country’s biggest fight’: Amit Shah outlines roadmap for ‘drug-free’ India by 2029

Terming drug menace the country’s biggest national fight after ending Naxalism, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday unveiled a three-year roadmap and a vision document for narcotics control, with an aim to achieve a “drug-free India” by 2029.

At a press conference in Goa on Sunday afternoon, Shah said, “We have created a roadmap to achieve the milestone of making India drug-free by 2029. Narcotics trafficking is a crime that destroys the future generations and the ‘dirty money’ thus funnelled is also used to fund terrorism.

Narco-terror modules have come up in several countries and the whole world is plagued by this issue.” “In 2019, we made it a priority issue for national security. A four-tier NCORD (Narco Coordination Centre) mechanism was created and we integrated local police with the national strategy by forming dedicated anti-narcotics task forces in all states and union territories.

We transformed seizure-centric action into network-centric enforcement — reaching the kingpins, associates, distributors, and suppliers through bottom-to-top and top-to-bottom investigations,” he said. He said the BJP government has ensured that the fight against narcotics transitions from files and isolated actions by different agencies into a national, coordinated and continuous campaign.

Shah said there has been an unprecedented increase in the volume of drugs seized since the BJP government came to power in 2014. From 2004 to 2014, 26 lakh kgs of narcotics and psychotropic substances were seized, while from 2014 to 2026 (till July), more than 1.19 crore kgs of narcotics and psychotropic substances have been seized.

He said that after “ending Naxalism”, the fight against drugs is the country’s biggest national fight. “We will make 2026-29 a mission-mode period. With every goal, there will be a timeline, a ministry responsible, measurable outcomes, quarterly reviews and result-based accountability.

The strategy will have three outcomes – supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction,” he said. Shah said a ‘four-pillar’ roadmap vision document has been prepared to achieve the target. These pillars include intelligence and operation-based enforcement, precursor and synthetic drugs control, demand and harm reduction, and capacity building and coordination.

After the press conference in the afternoon, Shah headed towards Chimbel near Panaji to inaugurate the BJP’s new state headquarters in Goa. The event was, however, curtailed, due to the building collapse in Delhi, said Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.

“Since there is a tragedy in Delhi, we have decided not to go ahead with the function,” Sawant told the media. Pavneet Singh Chadha is the Goa Correspondent of The Indian Express. His reporting focuses intensely on the state of Goa, covering major developments in politics, governance, and significant local events, which establishes his high degree of Expertise and Authority in the region.

Expertise Geographic Expertise: As the Goa correspondent, Pavneet provides on-the-ground, comprehensive coverage of Goa's political, social, and cultural landscape, ensuring readers receive timely and localized insights.

Key Coverage Focus: His recent work demonstrates deep investigative capabilities and a focus on high-impact stories, including: Investigative Reporting: Extensive coverage of complex events such as major incidents (e.g., the Goa nightclub fire), tracing the legal, political, and safety lapses involved.

Government and Law Enforcement: Detailed tracking of police actions, deportations, and legal proceedings related to significant local cases. Policy and Governance: Reporting on the judiciary (e.g., Goa High Court flagging illegal structures) and the actions of government departments.

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