Centre will amend NDPS Act to crack down on drug syndicates, says Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday announced that the Centre will amend the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act to eliminate loopholes allegedly exploited by drug syndicates, while calling for a tougher and more coordinated approach against narcotics trafficking across the country.
Addressing the 10th apex-level meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD), Shah urged states to submit their suggestions on the proposed amendments being prepared by the Finance Ministry to strengthen the legal framework against drug-related crimes.
Emphasising the need for coordinated enforcement, Shah said the amendments are intended to close legal gaps that enable organised narcotics networks to operate.
The Union Home Minister also highlighted the government’s anti-drug efforts over the past decade, citing a significant rise in seizures of synthetic drugs.
“During 2004 to 2014, 26 lakh kilograms of synthetic drugs were seized. In contrast, from 2014 to 2026, we seized 1.18 crore kilograms of synthetic drugs. This shows that our campaign is steadily progressing towards success,” he said.
According to Shah, the value of drugs seized between 2004 and 2014 stood at around Rs 40,000 crore, while seizures between 2014 and 2026 were valued at approximately Rs 1.84 lakh crore.
He said the increase reflects the expanded scale and effectiveness of enforcement measures undertaken by various agencies.
Reiterating the Centre’s plans to strengthen the law, Shah said the government would amend the NDPS Act to address weaknesses that have been exploited by narcotics syndicates.
The Home Minister also stressed the importance of real-time information sharing between the Centre and states to improve enforcement outcomes.
“For this, the Narcotics Control Bureau has developed several portals. I urge all chief secretaries and police chiefs to upload crime details for their respective states to these portals in a time-bound manner. This will enable the government of India to review these cases and provide you with necessary feedback and suggestions,” Shah said.
Calling for greater accountability, Shah asked state governments to ensure that NCORD meetings produce measurable outcomes instead of remaining routine exercises.
“The number of meetings is certainly increasing, but it is also essential that they are result-oriented.”
“Is effective implementation taking place on the decisions taken in the meetings? Are those decisions reviewed in the next meeting? Is there a rigorous and serious analysis of them? Efforts made at the state level in the direction of making meetings result-oriented can alone lead us to success,” Shah said.
The proposed amendments to the NDPS Act are expected to form part of the Centre’s broader strategy to strengthen enforcement, improve coordination among agencies and intensify action against organised drug trafficking networks operating across India.
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