Published 14:50 IST, February 13th 2020
Central government taking definitive approach to control drug trafficking, says Amit Shah
Shah was speaking at the inaugural session of the 'Combating Drug Trafficking' event organized by the BIMSTEC in the national capital
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has stated that the Central government is taking all steps to control drug abuse in the country. Shah was speaking at the inaugural session of the on 'Combating Drug Trafficking' organized by the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) in the national capital.
Shah takes on drug menace
"We will not allow the import and export of intoxicating drugs. We are completely dedicated to controlling drug trafficking. I congratulate the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for its manual, which has been prepared in a very short time. India has zero-tolerance towards intoxicating drugs. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, we are taking a definitive approach to control drug trafficking and trade. We are about to set a framework for coordination among different organizations to fight this challenge."
Shah also said that drug trafficking trade is a major income source for anti-social elements and terrorists. "These elements use this income for their illegal and unlawful activities. We must utilise our trans-national ability against terrorism and drug trafficking. In 2019, the amount of illegal heroin in India had crossed 2 metric tons by September. In 2018, the total number was only 1.2 metric tons. This shows how diligently our agencies have increased their work."
The BIMSTEC has organized a two-day conference on the subject and in a statement, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had earlier said, "In the changing drug-trafficking scenario, Asian countries are increasingly being affected by drug trafficking and BIMSTEC, being the key link between South Asian and southeast Asian nations, is one of the most effective platforms to tackle this global threat." A recent seizure of 1,527 kgs of methamphetamine in two tranches by the NCB established the fact that the Bay of Bengal region was impregnated with the drug-trafficking menace, it added.
BIMSTEC organizes inter-governmental interactions through Summits, Ministerial Meetings, Senior Officials Meetings and Expert Group Meetings and through BIMSTEC Working Group (BWG) based in Bangkok. The association has identified 14 priority areas where a member country takes lead. India is the lead country for Transport & Communication, Tourism, Environment & Disaster Management, and Counter Terrorism & Transnational Crime.
Updated 14:50 IST, February 13th 2020