Amit Shah to address first conference of Anti Narcotics Task Force heads today

The Anti Narcotics Task Force heads of states and Union territories will apprise about their anti-drug programmes and a roadmap to tackle the menace in their national conference in Delhi today

Union home minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the first national conference of Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) heads of states and Union Territories (UTs) in Delhi today in a bid to crack down on sale of psychotropic substances and expedite cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Union home minister Amit Shah. (File Photo)

In the conference,ANTF heads of states and Union territories will apprise about their anti-drug programmes and a roadmap to tackle the menace, officials said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had in December 2021 directed the states to create dedicated ANTF under the directors general of police (DGPs) to fight the menace of drugs and realise the dream of a ‘drug-free India’.

The MHA will also launch a national call centre, ‘Manas’, while an effective system is also being put in place to deal with the “increasing use of dark net and cryptocurrency in the trade of illegal drugs”.

Shah on a previous note had informed that a total of 1,257 cases were registered between 2006-2013, which increased by 152 per cent to 3,172 between 2014-2022, while the total number of arrests during the same period increased by 260 percent to 4,888 from 1,362.

Similarly, during 2006-2013, 1.52 lakh kg of drugs were seized which doubled to 3.30 lakh kg between 2014-2022, drugs worth ₹768 crore were seized during 2006-2013, which increased by 25 times to ₹20,000 crore between 2014-2022.