Home Minister Amit Shah to chair meet on coordination for countering drug trafficking, abuse

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will on Thursday chair the seventh apex level meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) which has been convened to coordinate and synergise efforts of various central and state agencies involved in countering drug trafficking and abuse in India.

At the meeting in Delhi, Shah will launch a national narcotics helpline -- 'MANAS' (Madak Padarth Nisedh Asuchna Kendra) -- and virtually inaugurate the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal office in Srinagar.

The home minister will also release NCB's annual report 2023 and compendium on 'Nasha Mukt Bharat', an official release said.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the central government has adopted a 'zero tolerance policy' against drug trafficking to curb the menace of drugs, it said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will achieve PM Modi's goal of a drug-free India by 2047 through a three-point strategy -- strengthening of institutional structure, coordination among all narco agencies and extensive public awareness campaign, it said.

A number of steps have been taken in this direction including organising NCORD meetings of all stakeholders at all levels of the four-tier system on a regular basis and the launch of a dedicated centralised NCORD portal for sharing of activities and best practices.

Also, the formation of a joint coordination committee for coordination on operational matters of specific large cases, which have connections with other crimes and international ramifications.

Besides, a dedicated anti-narcotics task force (ANTF) will be set up in each state and UT and high priority will be give to drug disposal drives and the launch of the NIDAAN portal for narco offenders.

Creation of canine squads for drug detection, strengthening the forensic capabilities, establishment of special NDPS courts and fast track courts and launching Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA) for awareness against drug abuse are also part of the initiatives.

The NCORD mechanism was formed in 2016 for better coordination between states and the Ministry of Home Affairs. It has been further strengthened through a four-tier system in 2019.

It has an apex-level NCORD committee, which is headed by the Union home secretary, an executive-level committee, which is headed by a special secretary, MHA, state-level committees, headed by chief secretaries, and district-level committees headed by district magistrates, the release said.