Lok Sabha Question No. 3072 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-08
Subject: Zero Tolerance Policy against Narcotics
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Manickam Tagore B

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3072

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 8 TH  AUGUST, 2023/ SRAVANA 17, 1945 (SAKA)

ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY AGAINST NARCOTICS

3072. SHRI MANICKAM TAGORE B.:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  more  than  1.44  lakh  kilograms  of  drugs estimated at Rs. 2,416 crore have been destroyed in various parts of the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c)  whether  it  is  also  true  that  the  Government  has  adopted  a  zero tolerance policy against narcotics;

(d) whether it is also true that the aim of the Government is to make India a drug free nation;

(e)  if  so,  whether  the  Government  will  continue  to  destroy  the  drugs  in similar fashion in the coming days to achieve the target of making India a drug free country; and

(f) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI NITYANAND RAI)

(a) ,  (b),  (e)  &  (f)      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.

- (c) & (d) 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.
- (A) Some  of the drugs supply reduction initiatives taken by the Government are as detailed below:-
- (i) 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.

- (ii) 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.
- (iii) A special Task Force on Dark net and Crypto currency has been constituted to monitor suspicious transactions related to drugs on Darknet.
- (iv) 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.
- (v) 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.
- (vi) Since illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and its abuse is a transnational 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.

- (B) Some of the initiatives taken by the Government for Drugs demand reduction are as follow :-
- (i) 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.
- (ii) Launching  of  Nasha  Mukt  Bharat  Abhiyan  (NMBA)  in  372  most vulnerable districts with a massive community outreach programme, involving more than 8000 youth volunteers.

- (iii) 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.
- (iv) 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.

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