The Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, has stated that after completing the objective to finish Naxalism by 31st March, 2026, the biggest challenge that his administration will tackle would be eradicating the drug problem from the nation.
Centre stands like rock with states in fight against drugs, human trafficking: @AmitShah in #Panchkulahttps://t.co/LA7VsN1tef pic.twitter.com/ZqE60vZukp
— The Tribune (@thetribunechd) December 24, 2025
Recently, while meeting the country’s highest security and intelligence officials on 24th December, the Home Minister asked them to draw up a roadmap concerning the issue of drug trafficking in the country. This came during the 7th apex-level meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) that took place earlier this year.
During the meeting, Shah made it clear that the government’s stance is to ensure that not a single gram of drugs reaches the country.
The Centre’s statistics reveal how much has been accomplished in this regard in the previous ten years. Government organisations have seized around 5.43 lakh kg of drugs worth approximately Rs 22,000 crores in the past ten years. According to Shah, this is a substantial jump from previous years. Between 2004-2013, a total of 1.52 lakh kg of drugs worth approximately 5,933 crores were seized. From 2014-2024, there has been a substantial jump in this regard.
The Home Minister has stated that in the past five years, the response to drugs has been strengthened by changes in systems, institutions, and knowledge. This ‘whole of government’ approach has yielded encouraging outcomes, he stated. On the other hand, there was an appeal for a tough and ‘no nonsense’ response to the whole drug supply chain, as the government pursues an action plan.
Recently, the state officials on narcotics have been directed to identify and dismantle the units that manufacture synthetic drugs. They have also been asked to institute a scientific process to dispose of the narcotics every three months, since large quantities of drugs in police stations can be hazardous.
The officials have been told to prepare an anti-narcotics action plan that includes investigative details and measures taken by the district police to take action on any drug case. The anti-narcotic action plan would be analysed quarterly to ensure that it does not miss out on going to the grassroots level. Also, forensic laboratories exclusively dealing with narcotic cases would be established to enhance investigations.
Some special teams are also being formed at the state level to track funds related to drug trafficking. These special teams will track funds, monitor hawala transactions, keep close surveillance on cryptocurrency transactions, and enhance cyber surveillance.
Shah has also revealed that the drug trade has become inextricably associated with narco-terrorism and that funds generated by the trade are a dangerous threat to national security. Shah clearly instructed the authorities to target not only drug users but also the entire chain related to drug-related activities.
