7th apex level meeting of Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD)

7th apex level meeting of Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD)

Subject: polity

Sec: National body

Context:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah called for ruthless action against drug smuggling syndicates stating that police and other agencies should not only aim to arrest those who consume narcotics.

More about News:

• The Minister launched a toll-free helpline called MANAS (Madak Padarth Nishedh Asuchna Kendra) at 1933.
• All agencies should move from ‘Need to Know’ policy to that of ‘Duty to Share’. There should be a ruthless approach towards supply of drugs, a strategic approach towards demand reduction and a humane approach towards harm reduction.

MANAS (Madak Padarth Nishedh Asuchna Kendra):

–       Toll-free number 1933, a web portal, a mobile app and UMANG app so that citizens of the country can anonymously connect with NCB 24×7 for seeking advice on de-addiction and rehabilitation, sharing information on drug trafficking.

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB):

• Headquarters: Delhi
• Ministry:  Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
• Statutory body
• Constituted by the Government of India in1986 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
• NCB now has 30 zonal offices and 7 regional offices.

Major challenges posed by synthetic drugs:

• Entire business of such substances is getting linked with terrorism and the money coming from drugs has emerged as the most serious threat to the security of the country.
• Economic transactions meant to weaken the economy have also been
• Illegal hawala dealings and tax evasion.
• Foreign countries have decriminalised drugs-related offences as they do not have enough space in jails, it is not due to any humanitarian approach.
• Maritime routes were being used for smuggling drugs.

Action against drugs:

• To increase the usage of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PITNDPS).
• Harsh laws are made to fight organised crimes.
• Strategy for coastal and land-locked areas should be unique.

Govt. of India has adopted two-pronged strategy to achieve

The vision of “Nasha Mukt Bharat”:-

• Drugs supply reduction initiatives.
• Drugs demand reduction initiatives.

Drugs supply reduction initiatives taken by the Government are as detailed below:

(i) Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) – The Government has introduced the NCORD mechanism in 2016 to have effective coordination of actions among various Ministries, Departments, Central and States law enforcement agencies dealing with narcotics. The mechanism was restructured in 2019 into a 4 tier structure as detailed under:-

• Apex Level Committee (headed by Union Home Secretary)
• Executive Level Committee (headed by Special Secretary (IS),

MHA).

• State Level Committee (headed by Chief Secretary of the

concerned State).

• District Level Committee (Headed by District Magistrate)

(ii) A Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) was constituted vide MHA’s consisting of Central and State Agencies to monitor investigations in case of large seizure of drugs.

(iii) A special Task Force on Dark net and Crypto currency has been constituted to monitor suspicious transactions related to drugs on Darknet.

(iv) To prevent smuggling along border areas various border guarding forces like BSF, SSB and Assam Rifles have been empowered under Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act, 1985 to make interdiction of drugs.

(v) To mitigate the problem of drug trafficking through maritime route, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has been empowered under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for making interdiction of narcotic drugs at sea.

(vi) Since illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and its abuse is a trans-national problem, Govt. of India has entered into bilateral agreements with 27 countries, Memorandum of Understanding

(B) Initiatives taken by the Government for Drugs demand reduction are as follow :

(i) National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) is an umbrella scheme of Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (MoSJ&E) under which financial assistance is provided to State Governments/ Union Territory (UT) Administrations for Preventive Education and Awareness Generation, Capacity Building, Skill development, vocational training and livelihood support to ex-drug addicts, Programmes for Drug Demand Reduction by States/UTs and Non-Governmental Organizations/ Voluntary Organizations for running and maintenance of Integrated Rehabilitation Centers for Addicts (IRCAs), Community based Peer Led Interventions (CPLI) for early Drug Use Prevention among Adolescents, Outreach and Drop In Centers (ODIC) and Addiction treatment facilities (ATFs) in Government Hospitals.

(ii) Launching of Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA) in 372 most vulnerable districts with a massive community outreach programme, involving more than 8000 youth volunteers.

 (iii) The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is also running a National Toll Free Helpline 14446 to provide tele-counseling to drug users and refer them to the nearest de-addiction center.

(iv) NCB has also launched awareness campaigns through various social media platforms by way of Audio Video messages of eminent personalities from the field of Politics, Bureaucracy, Sports, Films, Music etc. and also through Telecom Service Providers, FM Radios, Television Channels, etc.

Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PITNDPS):

• Section 3 of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988empowers the government to detain a person to prevent him from engaging in illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.