New Delhi, May 16: India’s premier intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), hosted its annual lecture series on Friday, focusing on the theme ‘Drugs: An Unbounded Threat, A Collective Responsibility’.
During his address, Union Home Minister Amit Shah highlighted that under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, India has set a national goal of achieving a drug-free nation by 2047.
Shah stated that Indian security agencies have developed a roadmap to dismantle drug cartels and are actively working towards this objective. He emphasized that India’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards drugs ensures that not even a gram can enter the country or be used as a transit route.
He pointed out that drug trafficking is not solely a law enforcement issue but has long-term implications for society and future generations. Therefore, a comprehensive solution is essential.
Shah also noted that while drug money is used to fund terrorists and criminal organizations, the permanent damage caused to the human body by drug use is often overlooked.
He warned that there is still time for responsible nations worldwide to collaborate to combat this threat. If joint efforts are not initiated soon, the world will realize in ten years that it is too late to rectify the damage done.
The Home Minister called for a unified global effort against drugs and stressed the need for a cohesive legal framework to address this issue. He stated that until there is a global consensus on the definition of controlled substances and uniform penalties for drug trafficking, drug cartels will continue to exploit policy discrepancies, undermining efforts to combat this threat.
Highlighting the need for international cooperation in tackling drug trafficking, he underscored the importance of sharing real-time intelligence to intercept drug shipments and apprehend or deport drug lords.
During his speech, he also mentioned that in the past two years, India has successfully repatriated over 40 international criminals with the help of allied nations. However, he acknowledged that much more work remains to be done.
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