ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY AGAINST NARCOTICS

Destruction of seized drugs is a continuous process. NCB, under directions of Ministry of Home Affairs, has initiated a special campaign for destruction of seized drug from 01.06.2022 in collaboration with other Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (DLEAs). In the said campaign, more than 10,17,523 Kgs of drugs has been destroyed till date including 1,40,969 kgs of drugs destroyed on 17.07.2023.

The Govt. of India has adopted two pronged strategy to achieve the vision of “Nasha Mukt Bharat”:-

Drugs supply reduction initiatives.
Drugs demand reduction initiatives.
Some of the drugs supply reduction initiatives taken by the Government are as detailed below:-
Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) – The Government has introduced the NCORD mechanism in 2016 to have effective coordination of actions among various Ministries, Departments, Central and States law enforcement agencies dealing with narcotics. The mechanism was restructured in 2019 into a 4 tier structure as detailed under:-
Apex Level Committee (headed by Union Home Secretary)
Executive Level Committee (headed by Special Secretary (IS), MHA).
State Level Committee (headed by Chief Secretary of the concerned State).
District Level Committee (Headed by District Magistrate)
The NCORD mechanism has been further strengthened by addition of new members at different levels to make it more effective and comprehensive.

A Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) was constituted vide MHA’s order dated 19 July, 2019 consisting of Central and State Agencies to monitor investigations in case of large seizure of drugs.
A special Task Force on Dark net and Crypto currency has been constituted to monitor suspicious transactions related to drugs on Darknet.
To prevent smuggling along border areas various border guarding forces like BSF, SSB and Assam Rifles have been empowered under Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act, 1985 to make interdiction of drugs.
To mitigate the problem of drug trafficking through maritime route, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has been empowered under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for making interdiction of narcotic drugs at sea.
Since illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and its abuse is a trans-national problem, Govt. of India has entered into bilateral agreements with 27 countries, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 16 countries and 02 Agreements on Security Cooperation for preventing illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals.

Some of the initiatives taken by the Government for Drugs demand reduction are as follow :-
National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) is an umbrella scheme of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJ&E) under which financial assistance is provided to State Governments/ Union Territory (UT) Administrations for Preventive Education and Awareness Generation, Capacity Building, Skill development, vocational training and livelihood support to ex-drug addicts, Programmes for Drug Demand Reduction by States/UTs and Non-Governmental Organizations/ Voluntary Organizations for running and maintenance of Integrated Rehabilitation Centers for Addicts (IRCAs), Community based Peer Led Interventions (CPLI) for early Drug Use Prevention among Adolescents, Outreach and Drop In Centers (ODIC) and Addiction treatment facilities (ATFs) in Government Hospitals.
Launching of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA) in 372 most vulnerable districts with a massive community outreach programme, involving more than 8000 youth volunteers.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is also running a National Toll Free Helpline 14446 to provide tele-counseling to drug users and refer them to the nearest de-addiction center.
NCB has also launched awareness campaigns through various social media platforms by way of Audio Video messages of eminent personalities from the field of Politics, Bureaucracy, Sports, Films, Music etc. and also through Telecom Service Providers, FM Radios, Television Channels, etc.
This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Nityanand Rai in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.