Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced a three-year nationwide campaign against drugs starting March 31 during the 9th Apex-level meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) on January 9, 2026, aimed at combating drug abuse and safeguarding India's youth. He directed all departments to prepare a roadmap by March 31 to address the drug problem. The initiative follows immediately after the deadline he set to eradicate Naxalism.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the launch of a three-year nationwide campaign against narcotics starting March 31, 2026, emphasizing a crackdown to eliminate the drug menace. The announcement came during the 9th Apex-level meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD), held in hybrid mode and attended by representatives from central ministries, state governments, and drug law enforcement agencies.
Shah stated, "In the next three years, we have to fight on all fronts against drugs across the country and make India 'drug-free', and make every effort to protect the country's youth from drugs." He stressed a zero-tolerance policy for those manufacturing or selling narcotics, while advocating a humanitarian approach toward victims.
He instructed all departments to develop a roadmap by March 31 for tackling the drug issue, establish monitoring mechanisms, and conduct time-bound reviews up to 2029. Shah urged directors general of police (DGPs) to prepare state-specific roadmaps and ensure timely destruction of seized drugs. He described the challenge as more tied to narco-terror than law and order, viewing it as a conspiracy to ruin future generations.
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, significant progress has been made in the past 11 years. From 2004 to 2013, 26 lakh kg of drugs worth ₹40,000 crore were seized; from 2014 to 2025, seizures rose to 1.11 lakh kg valued at ₹1.71 lakh crore, an 11-fold increase. Opium crops on 10,770 acres were destroyed in 2020, expanding to 40,000 acres by November 2025.
Established in 2016, NCORD is a four-tier structure to enhance coordination among states, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and stakeholders. Shah called for a ruthless collective approach to the supply chain, strategic demand reduction, and humane harm reduction. He also virtually inaugurated a Narcotics Control Bureau office in Amritsar.
