India's Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on September 6, 2026 that the government has prepared a clear roadmap to make the country drug-free by 2029.
Speaking at a press conference in Goa, Shah emphasized that the fight against drugs has become a national security priority. According to him, the goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is for a "drug-free youth" to lead India towards the developed nation of "Viksit Bharat" by 2047.
Shah compared the upcoming work to the successful fight against Naxalism and terrorism. Until 2014, he noted, efforts were fragmented and largely limited to arrests of small-time dealers. Now the approach has shifted to a coordinated national campaign.
The foundation of the strategy is the Vision Document on Drug Control (2026–2029), released in June. It rests on four pillars: law enforcement and intelligence, control of precursors and synthetic drugs, demand reduction and rehabilitation, and capacity building and coordination.
The government is using the strategy "Detect, Disrupt and Destroy" — to identify networks, disrupt their financial and logistical chains, and completely destroy them. Mechanisms such as NCORD, the NIDAN database, the MANAS helpline, and an updated NCB structure are already in place.
The plan covers more than 40 ministries and departments, states, and territories. Among the goals are the elimination of 100 cross-border and inter-state networks, the return of 100 fugitive criminals, and the destruction of 100 clandestine laboratories.
