New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday cautioned against the damage that can be caused by drug abuse and called for a stronger fight by enforcement agencies to prevent the destruction of lives and future generations.

Addressing the 2nd National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Heads of States and Union Territories (UTs), HM Shah urged all officials to reserve at least 12 days in a year to exclusively fight the drug menace.

Lead discussions on ‘Drug Free India @ 2047’ while inaugurating the two-day national conference of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), HM Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is determined to wipe out drugs from the nation and highlighted that 69.61 lakh accused related to the drug menace have been arrested between 2014 and 2025.

Highlighting the stepped-up fight against drug cartels, HM Shah said that as compared to the seizure of 26 lakh kg contraband between 2004 and 2013, the confiscation during 2014 and 2025 has increased four-fold to one crore kg.

“Our youth population is vast and abundant. If drug abuse grows beyond a certain limit, it will take a very long time to overcome its impact. Therefore, this is the time to fight strongly against it, to prevent the destruction of lives and future generations,” he said.

“Here today, we are united after six years of campaigns involving planning, meetings, and reporting. We have established coordination mechanisms from the grassroots to the top and shared information and data extensively. We have also achieved significant success so far,” he said.

He asked Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Heads of States and Union Territories (UTs) to use drones and other technology tools to survey and detect cannabis farming and destroy them within one month of sowing.

ANTF Heads of 36 states and Union Territories, apart from stakeholders from other government departments, are attending the conference that aims to formulate a roadmap to achieve the goal of a drug-free India.

Themed ‘United Resolve, Shared Responsibility’, the conference is holding a comprehensive review and analysis of the collective efforts made by all stakeholders involved in combating the drug menace.

Detailed deliberations on various facets of drug supply, demand reduction and harm reduction, including their national security implication and steps to be taken for strengthening Drug Law Enforcement in the country, are also taking place during the two-day event, apart from discussions on the need for a whole-of-government approach required to address the menace.

–IANS

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