New Delhi: Responding to the issue of drug abuse raised by members of the Parliament, Union Home Minister Amit Shah guaranteed that in the next two years, drug traffickers across the state will be behind the bars. "We have mapped the drug network across the states. No matter how big the criminal is, in the next two years there'll be a situation that they'll be behind the bars." the Home Minister said Wednesday while addressing the Lok Sabha.
"Drugs are coming from gulf countries, and people involved in it have been arrested while factories have been sealed. On the basis of this, raids were conducted in 12 states and people were arrested there too," the Home Minister said.
He further said that the Central government has a zero-tolerance policy toward the usage of drugs. "The drug menace is a serious problem that is destroying generations. The profits being made from the drugs are utilized for terrorism as well," he said during his address at the Lok Sabha.
Calling for a combined effort from all wings of the states and Union territories to fight together against the drug menace, Shah said, "We need to stop the entry of drugs through borders, ports, and airports. The Revenue Department, Narcotics Control Bureau, and other anti-narcotics agencies have to work against the menace of being on the same page."
Highlighting that the agencies have to be trusted in order for them to take adequate action, the Home Minister said, "Agencies can't work without rights, they have to be given rights. We should show faith in our agencies," he said further suggesting that NCB can conduct probes across the country and that it is quite open for an inter-state probe. Even the NIA can help the states, he said.
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"Home ministers across states should not look at incidents of drug seizure as an isolated issue. They should instead investigate it thoroughly and find where they came from," Shah said, calling for a joint initiative to deal with the problem of drug abuse.
Talking about the role of BSF in the drug menace, he said, "Borders are the responsibility of the Central government, but when we give rights to BSF, it's said that the rights of states are being meddled with. How will the BSF work there? BSF seizes drugs but doesn't have the right to file a case. Don't politicize the issue and promote drug trafficking."
Clarifying that the govt policies are pretty clear and consider drug consumers as victims, the Home Minister said, "Our govt policy is very clear, those consuming drugs are victims. We should be sensitive towards them and provide a conducive atmosphere for their rehabilitation. But those involved in drug trafficking should not be spared," he said.
