Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 27: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday released the government’s Vision Document on Drug Control (2026-2029) and the Narcotics Control Bureau Annual Report-2025, announcing a three-year national roadmap aimed at dismantling drug trafficking networks across the country.
Chairing the 10th apex-level meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD), Shah said the government would target the entire narcotics ecosystem through coordinated enforcement, intelligence operations, prevention and rehabilitation measures.
“The next three years will decide whether the drug trade will defeat us or we will defeat it. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we will strike the entire drug trade ecosystem so decisively over the next three years that it will not be able to recover for decades,” Shah said.
The roadmap involves more than 40 ministries and departments and focuses on making India drug-free by 2047.
Shah said the strategy is based on four key pillars — enforcement, intelligence and operations; precursor and synthetic drug control; demand reduction and rehabilitation; and capacity building and coordination.
The Home Minister said the government is reviewing loopholes in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and examining the scheduling of precursor chemicals and psychotropic substances used in illegal drug manufacturing.
The new approach aims to move beyond arresting individual couriers and instead dismantle entire trafficking networks by tracing financial links and attaching illicit assets. The government plans to target 100 major interstate and international drug cartels.
The strategy includes stronger action against synthetic drugs, including methamphetamine and mephedrone, crackdown on illegal laboratories, tighter monitoring of pharmaceutical drug diversion, and enhanced border surveillance through artificial intelligence-based systems and anti-drone technology.
Shah also directed states to make financial investigations mandatory in major NDPS cases and strengthen anti-narcotics task forces.
He urged every state to establish dedicated units under the offices of Director Generals of Police to coordinate with central agencies in identifying and bringing back fugitives operating drug networks from abroad.
The Home Minister said states should issue Red Corner Notices and use agencies including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to initiate action against drug traffickers and gang members hiding overseas.
Highlighting the importance of reducing demand, Shah said public awareness, education and rehabilitation would be critical in the fight against drugs.
He directed the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to expand the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, while asking the Health Ministry to monitor pharmaceutical diversion and online pharmacies strictly.
He also called upon the Education Ministry to implement the Drug-Free Campus framework in schools and higher education institutions and create awareness among students, parents and teachers.