Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday inaugurated the third National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) heads from states and Union Territories in New Delhi, outlining a national strategy aimed at dismantling drug trafficking networks across India by 2029.
Shah said the fight against narcotics must become a top priority and called for a shift from individual drug seizures toward dismantling entire trafficking networks. He said the government’s goal is to prevent drugs from both entering and leaving India, describing the campaign against narcotics as an important part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. Shah said authorities should move from “meeting to mission,” “reporting to result,” “seizure to end of network” and “case to conviction,” with clear targets, timelines and accountability.
Under the proposed approach, districts would become the basic units of anti-narcotics operations and be classified into three categories: drug-manufacturing or entry districts, transportation-corridor districts and consumption districts. Shah called for trafficking cartels to be targeted at three levels — their entry points, interstate distribution systems and local networks. He also emphasized backward and forward investigations, financial probes and the identification of digital links connected to drug trafficking.
The government also plans a major awareness campaign targeting young people. Shah said “Nashamukt Mitras” would visit 10 lakh schools, colleges and other institutions across the country to raise awareness about narcotics and engage administrators. He said the ANTF system should ultimately function as an “Anti Narco Mission Command,” with intelligence gathered by task forces routinely converted into actionable information for state police.
Shah also called for stronger action against international drug networks, including efforts to identify, blacklist and deport foreign nationals accused in narcotics cases where legally applicable. He said authorities should also pursue fugitives operating from overseas and seek to bring those accused of supplying drugs to India before Indian courts.
During the conference, Shah launched television campaigns promoting anti-narcotics awareness and unveiled a new Narcotics Control Bureau website. He also laid the foundation stones for new NCB zonal complexes in Lucknow and Dehradun as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s anti-drug infrastructure.
