Bilal Bashir Bhat
onlykashmir News Desk
Srinagar, Sep 16: The Press Information Bureau (PIB), Srinagar, in collaboration with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), organised a ‘Vartalap’ programme in Srinagar to sensitise media representatives about the Nasha Mukt Bharat Vision Document 2026–2029 and the government’s roadmap to combat drug trafficking and abuse.
The session highlighted the three-year national roadmap, which focuses on intelligence and enforcement, control of precursor and synthetic drugs, demand and harm reduction, and capacity building and coordination, with the objective of making India drug-free by 2029.
NCB Zonal Director Piyush Kumar Ankit, PIB Srinagar Director Qazi Salman and Assistant Director (Media), Ministry of Home Affairs, Rajeev Kumar Rustagi, interacted with media representatives and explained key components of the vision document.
The presentation highlighted an expansion of the NCB’s institutional capacity. Its manpower has increased from 1,107 to 1,630, while zonal units have risen from 13 to 36 and regional offices from 3 to 7. Since 2019, properties and assets worth ₹3,992 crore have been frozen or seized, while 128 illegal clandestine laboratories were dismantled between 2019 and July 2026.
The programme also highlighted an increase in the conviction rate from 60.5 per cent in 2024 to 65.5 per cent in 2025 and 68.6 per cent in Q1 2026. There are currently 176 Special NDPS Courts, while during Q1 2026, 73 offenders were convicted in 35 cases, with four sentenced to a maximum of 20 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Major Operations Highlighted
The NCB presentation also detailed several major operations targeting organised drug-trafficking networks.
Under Operation Sagar Manthan, a joint maritime operation involving the NCB, Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Gujarat ATS resulted in the seizure of approximately 3,400 kg of narcotics and the arrest of 25 foreign nationals.
Other operations highlighted included:
Operation Crystal Fortress: Seizure of 328.54 kg of methamphetamine linked to an international syndicate.
Operation Ragepill: Seizure of 227.7 kg of Captagon, described as the first-ever seizure of the drug in India.
Operation White Strike: Seizure of 349 kg of high-grade cocaine, with an estimated value of ₹1,745 crore.
Operation Kalki: Busting of a darknet- and cryptocurrency-based drug-trafficking network.
Operation Med Max: Action against an online pharmaceutical network spanning more than 10 countries, in collaboration with the US DEA and Interpol.
Operation Global Hunt: Repatriation of Salim Dola, Virendra Basoya, S. Ramdas and Naveen Chickkar.
The session stressed the need for coordinated action by government agencies, educational institutions, civil society and the media to prevent drug abuse, particularly among young people.
The vision document also focuses on dismantling trafficking networks, tackling illicit financing, synthetic and darknet-enabled drugs, while strengthening treatment, rehabilitation and coordinated enforcement mechanisms.
