PIB Srinagar organises ‘Vartalap’ on three-year roadmap for drug-free India

STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 16 (STC) : The Press Information Bureau (PIB), Srinagar, in collaboration with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), on Wednesday organised ‘Vartalap’ to create awareness about the government’s Vision Document 2026-2029 for a drug-free India.
The programme focused on the key aspects and salient features of the three-year roadmap aimed at achieving the goal of a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ by 2029.
The Union Home Minister Amit Shah had launched the Vision Document 2026-2029 in June this year as part of the government’s efforts to strengthen the fight against drug abuse and trafficking.
The ‘Vartalap’ was conducted by NCB Zonal Director for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh region Piyush Kumar Ankit, PIB Srinagar Director Qazi Salman and Assistant Director (Media), Ministry of Home Affairs, Rajeev Kumar Rustagi.
During the interaction, media persons were briefed about the government’s initiatives and key achievements in combating drugs, including seizures, arrests, deep-level investigations and destruction of seized narcotics.
The roadmap, covering the period from July 2026 to July 2029, is based on four pillars — intelligence and operation-based enforcement, precursor and synthetic drugs control, demand and harm reduction, and capacity building and coordination.
The operational approach under the four pillars is based on the mantra of “Detect, Disrupt and Destroy”.
Under the strategy, agencies will focus on identifying drug sources, routes, peddlers, technology, payment channels and kingpins; disrupting transit, logistics, precursor supply, darknet networks, hawala and narco-financing; and destroying clandestine drug laboratories, illicit cultivation, cartel assets, leadership and distribution networks.
The government has identified the fight against drugs as a national security priority, with special focus on dismantling clandestine drug laboratories, tracing and bringing back drug offenders and fugitives, integrating systems and achieving measurable national outcomes.
The presentation also highlighted measures for supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction, besides targeting drug trafficking networks, financial channels and fugitives through a whole-of-government approach.
Strengthening the joint operational capabilities of agencies, from policy formulation to prosecution, has also been accorded priority under the Vision Document.
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, along with educational institutions, is working towards making educational institutions drug-free. Through NCC, NSS and My Bharat initiatives, lakhs of ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Mitras’ will also be prepared, the participants were informed.
The Vision Document has been prepared following consultations with concerned Central Government ministries and departments, drug law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders, providing a common roadmap covering demand reduction, supply reduction and harm reduction.
The roadmap envisages a network-centric enforcement approach to tackle emerging challenges such as synthetic drugs and darknet-enabled trafficking. It also outlines measures to prevent drug abuse among youth, expand access to treatment and rehabilitation centres and strengthen coordinated action over the next three years.
The ‘Vartalap’ also emphasised the role of the media in creating public awareness and encouraging wider participation of society in the campaign against drug abuse.

(Straight Talk Communications / Inputs from KNS)