Drug-Free India by 2029 Campaign, Centre Launches 3-Year Anti-Drug Roadmap

The Centre has prepared a three-year roadmap to achieve a Drug-Free India by 2029, treating the fight against narcotics as a national security priority. The roadmap, covering July 2026 to July 2029, focuses on dismantling drug networks, controlling synthetic and precursor drugs, reducing drug demand and strengthening coordination among enforcement and welfare agencies.

Drug-Free India by 2029 Four-Pillar Strategy

The Drug-Free India by 2029 roadmap rests on four pillars covering drug trafficking, illegal drug production, drug dependence and inter-agency coordination, and follows a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to tackle the problem comprehensively.

Intelligence-Led Enforcement and Operations

The government aims to dismantle entire drug-trafficking networks rather than focusing only on individual offenders. 

• Under the bottom-to-top and top-to-bottom investigation model, agencies will trace small seizures to their source and large consignments to their intended destination to uncover the wider network. 
• The government aims to dismantle 100 national and international drug networks by March 2029.

Control of Precursors and Synthetic Drugs

The government aims to strengthen control over precursor chemicals and synthetic drugs and take action against clandestine laboratories involved in illegal drug production. 

• The government aims to destroy at least 75 clandestine drug laboratories in 2026 and end-to-end visibility of the narcotics supply chain by March 2027.

Demand Reduction and Harm Reduction

The government aims to reduce drug use and help people overcome addiction through awareness, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. 

• The government aims to increase the number of de-addiction centres to 1,751 to expand access to treatment and rehabilitation services. 
• The government aims to strengthen community participation by preparing 10,000 volunteers and 1 lakh Nasha Mukt Bharat Mitras to spread awareness about drug abuse and support the campaign at the grassroots level.
• The government aims to make educational institutions drug-free by involving schools, colleges and educational institutions in awareness, prevention and early intervention against substance abuse.

Capacity Building and Coordination

The government aims to strengthen coordination among Central and State agencies through better intelligence sharing, joint action and improved monitoring at borders, ports, airports and cargo points. The government aims to implement the roadmap in mission mode from 2026 to 2029, with defined timelines, measurable outcomes, quarterly reviews and outcome-based accountability.

Drug-Free India by 2029: Institutional and International Measures

India already has several institutional and international mechanisms that support the implementation of the Drug-Free India by 2029 roadmap.

• The Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) brings together Central and State agencies to improve coordination in tackling drug trafficking.
• The government is strengthening inter-agency coordination among the Narcotics Control Bureau, State Police, Border Security Force, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Enforcement Directorate and Financial Intelligence Unit to improve intelligence sharing, border surveillance and financial investigation.
• Anti-Narcotics Task Forces at the State level strengthen enforcement and coordination with the Narcotics Control Bureau and other agencies.
• The MANAS helpline provides a mechanism for citizens to report information related to narcotics and supports public participation in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking.
• The NIDAAN database helps create a data-based mechanism for tracking narcotics offenders and supporting investigations against drug networks.
• India has developed a nationwide data-driven map of drug hotspots and trafficking patterns, helping agencies identify emerging routes and focus enforcement resources more effectively.
• India has international cooperation agreements with 46 countries to tackle narcotics-related crimes and strengthen cross-border investigations.
• More than 1,400 Central and State agencies are connected through Interpol, enabling better intelligence sharing and cooperation in transnational criminal cases.
• India is also pursuing a coordinated approach against drug trafficking through the Death Triangle and Death Crescent, focusing on major source and trafficking routes that pose a threat to the country.
• The Central Bureau of Investigation, Ministry of External Affairs and Interpol are being used to pursue fugitives, while financial agencies and the banking system help trace illicit money trails.

These measures have also produced significant results. Between July 2019 and July 2026, India brought back 274 wanted or absconding criminals from 36 countries. During 2019-2026, assets worth ₹17,874 crore were attached and ₹18,762 crore were recovered or restored in cases involving fugitives.

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Significance of Drug-Free India by 2029

The Drug-Free India by 2029 initiative is important because narcotics are not only a public health concern but also a challenge to internal security and organised crime.

• It strengthens internal security by targeting organised drug networks that can contribute to serious crime and narco-terrorism.
• It protects public health by combining action against drug supply with prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
• It disrupts illicit financial networks by targeting the money generated through drug trafficking.
• It strengthens border security through better intelligence, surveillance and coordination among agencies.
• It supports the broader goal of Viksit Bharat @2047 by seeking to build a drug-free youth population and protect India’s human capital from the social and economic consequences of substance abuse.
• It improves India’s response to transnational crime through stronger international cooperation and mechanisms to track fugitives.

Challenges to Drug-Free India by 2029

The success of the roadmap will depend on India’s ability to respond to changing trafficking methods while also addressing the demand for drugs.

• Synthetic drugs are increasingly difficult to detect because they can be produced in small clandestine laboratories and may not depend on traditional trafficking routes.
• Darknet and cryptocurrency-based trafficking can make drug transactions more anonymous and difficult to track.
• Transnational drug networks operate across multiple jurisdictions, making investigation and prosecution dependent on international cooperation.
• Gaps in coordination and intelligence sharing can weaken action when enforcement, financial investigation and rehabilitation efforts do not work together.
• Drug dependence remains a demand-side challenge, as arrests and seizures alone cannot address addiction without effective treatment and rehabilitation.