Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said, India has set a national goal of achieving a Drug-Free India by 2047 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said Indian security agencies have prepared a roadmap to dismantle drug syndicates and are actively working towards this objective. Delivering the R. N. Kao Memorial Lecture in New Delhi yesterday, the Home Minister said drug trafficking is not merely a law-and-order issue, but one that has a long-term impact on society and future generations, requiring a comprehensive response.
He reaffirmed India’s policy of “Zero Tolerance” towards drugs, stating that the country would ensure that not a single gram of narcotics is allowed to enter or leave India using its territory as a transit route. Mr Shah also said, drug money is being used to finance terrorist and criminal networks and fuel a parallel economy. He noted that the long-term damage caused by drug abuse often goes unnoticed. The Minister called for a unified global effort in the fight against drugs and stressed the need for a common legal framework. He said drug cartels exploit inconsistencies in national policies and that global alignment is necessary on the classification of controlled substances and standardised penalties for trafficking.
He also underlined the importance of real-time intelligence sharing to intercept narcotics consignments and apprehend drug kingpins. The Home Minister informed that in the last two years, India has successfully brought back more than 40 transnational criminals with the cooperation of friendly countries. He urged nations to recognise that the fight against drugs is critical to national security, public health, and preventing narco-states from emerging as alternative power centres.
Mr Shah further said, the global battle against drugs must rise above geopolitical differences and national interests, calling for uniform laws, common definitions of prohibited substances, standardised punishments, extradition of drug traffickers, and stronger intelligence cooperation. The R. N. Kao Memorial Lecture is an annual lecture series instituted in 2007 in memory of Rameshwar Nath Kao, founder of the Research and Analysis Wing.
WhatsApp us