New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday said it has significantly strengthened the country’s anti-drug enforcement framework through expanded coordination among agencies, increased operational capacity of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the rollout of a nationwide digital database of narcotics offenders.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, the government said Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (DLEAs) continue to intensify action under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, resulting in substantial seizures of narcotics, arrests, registration of cases, destruction of illicit drug cultivation, financial investigations and preventive detentions under the PITNDPS Act, 1988.
The government said the revamped four-tier Narco-Coordination (NCORD) mechanism has improved coordination among Central ministries, state governments and enforcement agencies. Since its restructuring, 10 Apex NCORD meetings, 7 Executive NCORD meetings, 272 State-level meetings and 16,187 District-level meetings have been held to strengthen intelligence-sharing and coordinate anti-drug operations across the country.
To enhance enforcement, Anti-Narcotics Task Forces (ANTFs) have now been notified in all 36 States and Union Territories. The NCB has also circulated a model framework to help states strengthen their ANTFs.
The Centre said the number of NCB Zonal Offices has been expanded from 13 to 30, with all new offices now operational. Approval has also been granted for six additional zonal offices at Port Blair, Dimapur, Aizawl, Shimla, Shillong and Gangtok, further expanding the agency’s presence in strategically important regions.
The government also highlighted the National Integrated Database on Arrested Narco-Offenders (NIDAAN), a digital platform developed by the NCB in collaboration with the Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS). The database contains searchable records of around 9.5 lakh persons arrested or convicted under the NDPS Act and is accessible to authorised law enforcement agencies across the country to aid investigations, monitor repeat offenders and strengthen prosecution.
