The Union Minister for Home and Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, chaired the 3rd meeting of the Apex Level Committee of Narco Coordination Center (NCORD) organized by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in New Delhi today. The meeting was attended by the Union Home Secretary, Secretaries of various Ministries, Heads of concerned Central Agencies, Director Generals of Paramilitary Forces as well as Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories and Director Generals of State Police.
In his address on the occasion, the Union Home Minister said that NCORD is one such platform for effective coordination between various Ministries and Departments of the Government of India dealing with drug related subjects, which has achieved very good results in its tenure of 5 years. Through this third meeting in the 75th year of Independence, we have to ensure that the vision of ‘drug-free India’ given to us by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is realised, and we have to resolve to do this during the Azad Ka Amrit Mahotsav. The Home Minister said that the Narendra Modi government has adopted a zero tolerance policy against drugs. We should ensure that the drug supply network in the country is destroyed.
The Union Home Minister said that the Modi government believes that the problem of drug addiction is also a big challenge for national security, which can be tackled only with coordination amongst all. He said that there is a need to understand the problem of drug addiction as a major challenge to national security. Shri Shah said that during the period 2011 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2021, if we look at the records of seizure of drugs, it is seen that this problem is increasing, but at the same time it also shows that government agencies have been doing good work. He said narcotics worth Rs. 1,881 crore were seized between 2018 and 2021, which is three times that of drugs seized between 2011 and 2014 (Rs. 604 crore). Between 2018 and 2021, about 35 lakh kgs of drugs were seized while between 2011 and 2014, about 16 lakh kgs of drugs were confiscated.
In the meeting, the Union Home Minister took several important decisions and directed that there is a need for better coordination between all Drug Law Enforcement Agencies and Intelligence Agencies, not only at the national level but also between the Center and the States. Shri Shah said that the NCORD mechanism was formed in 2016 for better coordination and the Union Home Ministry further strengthened this four-tier system in 2019, therefore the Apex Level NCORD Committee, Executive Level NCORD Committee, State Level NCORD Committees – headed by Chief Secretaries and District level NCORD Committees – headed by District Magistrates.
The Union Home Minister directed that the NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) is the nodal agency and proper efforts should be made to implement the decisions taken in the NCORD meetings at each level. Compliance of the guidelines given in the meetings should be ensured within a stipulated time frame.
Shri Amit Shah directed all the states to constitute Dedicated Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) under ADG/IG level police officers to act as the Secretariat of the State NCORD so that decisions can be implemented within the time limit. He also directed the formation of a central NCORD unit under NCB at the national level. He said that there should be regular meetings of the NCORD and monthly meetings at the district level and quarterly at the State level, in which the presence of officers of appropriate level should be ensured. He also directed to review the implementation of the decisions taken in these meetings.
Shri Amit Shah directed that a narcotics training module should be prepared at national level so that police, CAPF personnel, prosecutors and people of various civil departments can be trained and this module should be prepared jointly by BPR&D and NCB. Considering the importance of the coordination mechanism, it is necessary that it includes the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Shipping, NCRB, National Investigation Agency (NIA), Indian Coast Guard, DRI and Department of post. Along with this, necessary action is also needed to prevent the misuse of dual-use prescription drugs. To work in this direction, the Union Home Minister directed the formation of a Permanent Inter-Ministerial Committee under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in which the Department Of Pharmaceuticals, National Medical Commission, the NCB from the MHA’s side and experts from industry should also be included.
The Union Home Minister took cognizance of the fact that 60-70 percent of narcotics drugs are smuggled mainly through the sea route. Therefore, special efforts should be made by all the coastal States and Union Territories and in State Level NCORD Committee meetings in which representatives from the Coast Guard, the Navy, Port Authorities and all stakeholders should be involved. He instructed that a comprehensive and integrated policy should be prepared by all these stakeholders and arrangements should be made at all ports; whether government or private owned, so that the scanning of incoming and outgoing containers can be done according to a prescribed process. For this, the Union Home Minister while giving instructions for the arrangement of container scanners and related equipment, said that the Ministry of Shipping should consider taking necessary steps in this direction.
The Union Home and Cooperation Minister also directed the development of a Narco-Canine Pool at the national level to effectively check smuggling of drugs. He said the National Security Guard (NSG) has sufficient experience and capability for and the NCB, in coordination with the NSG, should formulate a policy under which the facility of canine squads should be made available to State police as well.
The Union Home Minister started the envisaged National Narcotics Call Center named “Manas” and directed that it should be implemented at the earliest. This call center will act as a bridge between all agencies and the general public, so that citizens can reach out to concerned authorities through this centre. The identity of the citizen giving information will be kept confidential. The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that the NCB is the nodal agency for coordination at the national level and there is a need to set up an integrated NCORD portal at the Central level which will act as an effective mechanism for information exchange among various institutions/agencies. It will act as an effective mechanism for information exchange between various institutions/agencies, including integrated drug data, information management, mapping, online training modules, best practices, court orders, related laws, government orders, rules and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Shri Amit Shah said that the use of the Dark Net and Crypto-currency is increasing in the area of illegal drugs and hence there is a need for an information system which can break into the use of the Dark Net. Shri Shah directed the development of coordination in respect of SUBMAC. Giving instructions to use new technology for the prevention of cultivation of illegal drugs, the Union Home Minister said that for this it is necessary to consider the utility of various types of drones and the use of satellites and other technology under “Make in India”. He directed that the Ministry of Home Affairs, NCB and Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Application and Geo-informatics (BISAG), should work jointly for mapping of illegal drugs.
Shri Amit Shah said youth and students need to be involved in the fight against drug abuse and the Union Home Minister directed to launch an awareness campaign at the national level to ensure their participation. The Department of School Education, BPR&D and Ministry of Social Welfare and Empowerment should prepare a roadmap, especially chapters related to drug abuse and ill-effects in the school curriculum. Shri Shah said that it is a matter of great pleasure that the e-pledge campaign against drug abuse being run by the NCB has so far received the support of 1.38 lakh persons in a short span of time. Shri Shah directed that all personnel of Central paramilitary Police forces and state Police forces should participate in the Modi government’s oath campaign for a drugs-free India and ensure that all their personnel are part of the oath campaign. This campaign should be completed by January 12, 2022, which is Swami Vivekananda’s Jayanti, and which is celebrated as National Youth Day, and tht this campaign should be taken door-to-door in the form of a mass movement.
