New Delhi, September 21: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the third national conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) chiefs on Tuesday, with discussions set to focus on implementing the Vision Document on Narcotics Control (2026–29) and strengthening efforts to combat drug trafficking and substance abuse.
The two-day conference will bring together heads of ANTFs from all 36 States and Union Territories, along with representatives from concerned government departments and other stakeholders.
According to a government statement, the conference will review progress on targets assigned to State and UT ANTFs under the recently released Vision Document and deliberate on strategies for supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction.
The conference will be held under the theme “United Resolve, Shared Responsibility”, with participants discussing coordinated measures to tackle drug trafficking and substance abuse across the country.
Shah will also release television commercials aimed at creating awareness about the dangers of drug abuse and lay the foundation stones for new Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal office complexes in Lucknow and Dehradun.
Eight technical sessions are scheduled during the conference. These will cover institutional mechanisms, dismantling drug-trafficking networks and cartels, demand reduction and rehabilitation, enforcement effectiveness, precursor and synthetic drugs, illicit cultivation and alternative crops, as well as investigations involving the darknet and cryptocurrency.
The discussions will be organised around four key pillars of the Vision Document: enforcement, intelligence and operations; control of precursors and synthetic drugs; demand and harm reduction; and capacity building and coordination.
The conference is expected to facilitate greater coordination among States, Union Territories and central agencies and help develop strategies for tackling drug trafficking over the next three years.
The best-performing State or UT ANTF will also be felicitated during the event, while the revamped NCB website will be launched.
The government said the conference aims to strengthen cooperation between the NCB and State/UT ANTFs and support efforts towards building a drug-free India.
