India achieves ‘historic milestone’, destroys 144,000kg seized narcotics worth $289mn
Amit Shah
India on Monday (July 17) achieved a “historic milestone” by destroying 144,000 kilogrammes of seized narcotics worth 2.78 billion rupees ($289 million approx.)
The operation was carried out across the country by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in coordination with Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) in the virtual presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Calling it a “historic milestone”, Shah said that India has now attained an “astounding record” of destroying one million kgof seized drugs worth Rs 120 billion in just one year.
"The remarkable feat achieved at the Regional Conference on Drug Trafficking and National Security exemplifies the MHA's staunch and relentless pursuit of PM Narendra Modi Ji's vision of a drug-free India," he said.
PM Modi lauds initiative
Prime Minister Narendra Modi later replied to Shah’s tweet, commending the historic achievement.
"Great! Adds strength to our efforts to make India free from the drug menace," he said.
Earlier in the day, Shah, while chairing the Regional Conference on 'Drug Trafficking and National Security' in the capital New Delhi, said that drug trafficking and its usage not only ruin future generations but also affect India’s national security.
He conveyed PM Modi’s message of setting a target to make India drug-free by the time the centenary of the country's independence is celebrated.
Over 1,44,000 kg of drugs were destroyed worth Rs 2,378 crore across India under Home Minister Amit Shah's supervision.
The minister noted this is a record for the highest quantity of drugs destroyed in a single day.
Bulks of drugs destroyed in Madhya Pradesh
Among the drugs that were destroyed include 6,590 kg seized by the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Hyderabad unit, 822 kg seized by the Indore unit and 356 kg by the Jammu unit, the officials said.
The bulk of the seized narcotics were destroyed in Madhya Pradesh with 1,03,884 kg followed by 1,486 kg in Assam, 229 kg in Chandigarh, 25 kg in Goa, 4,277 kg in Gujarat, 2,458 kg in Haryana, 4,069 kg in Jammu and Kashmir, 159 kg in Maharashtra, 1,803 kg in Tripura and 4,049 kg in Uttar Pradesh, PTI news agency reported.
From June 1, 2022, to July 15, 2023, regional units of the NCB and anti-narcotics task forces of the states collectively destroyed around 8,76,554 kg of seized drugs worth around Rs 9.5 billion ($11.5 million approx.) which is more than 11 times the target.
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