{
  "id": 5984202,
  "title": "'We eradicated Naxalism, narcotics next': Amit Shah on drug-free India by 2029",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/we-eradicated-naxalism-narcotics-next-amit-shah-on-drug-free-india-by",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-06T12:56:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/we-eradicated-naxalism-will-eliminate-narcotics-amit-shah-on-drug-free-india-by-2029/articleshow/133837940.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Sunday that the Narendra Modi government has set a target to make India drug-free by 2029, positioning the fight against narcotics as a national security priority. Addressing the media, Shah emphasized that the battle against narcotics has evolved from isolated actions to a coordinated national campaign under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. The minister stated that the government envisions \"drug-free youth power\" as a driving force for India's progress towards Viksit Bharat by 2047. According to Shah, the government's approach to combating narcotics mirrors its strategy against Naxalism and terrorism.\n\nShah highlighted that prior to 2014, the anti-narcotics fight was conducted in small units with limited coordination, often focusing on apprehending small-time offenders. However, the government has since intensified its efforts through the National Commission on Drug Dependence (NCORD), state anti-narcotics task forces, enhanced joint coordination among agencies, the establishment of a national helpline (MANAS), and a revamped National Criminal Bureau (NCB). Additionally, the government has created the NIDAN database to track narcotics offenders and developed a nationwide data-driven map of drug hotspots and trafficking patterns.\n\nThe minister outlined a \"bottom-to-top\" and \"top-to-bottom\" reverse investigation model, emphasizing the importance of tracing small drug seizures back to their sources and large consignments back to their intended users to dismantle the broader networks involved in narcotics trafficking. Shah also addressed internal security issues, noting a decline in terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and a weakening of separatist sentiment since the abrogation of Article 370. He reported that Naxalites, who had persisted for five decades, had laid down their arms and integrated into society, while over 10,000 individuals in the northeastern states had similarly surrendered their weapons. Shah asserted that Naxalism had become a thing of the past and reiterated the government's commitment to addressing the narcotics menace with the same resolve.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}