Shah sets Dec 2028 deadline for Gujarat, 2029 for India to go drug-free

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday set a December 31, 2028, deadline to make Gujarat drug-free, a year ahead of the Centre’s target for a drug-free India, and announced a toll-free helpline to enable citizens to report drug-related activities.

The helpline, 1033, will become operational from December 1, Shah said while addressing a gathering in Ahmedabad. A dedicated control room will also be set up to receive complaints and ensure action against those involved in drug trafficking and consumption.

“After a ‘Naxal-free India’, the Modi government now aims at creating a ‘Drug-free India’ by December 31, 2029. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I both hail from Gujarat, we intend to make Gujarat drug-free earlier, by December 31, 2028,” Shah said.

He said the government had adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs and developed a scientific mechanism to act on complaints and ensure that those operating drug networks were jailed. “The government will not take even a single step back in its fight against the drug trade,” he said.

Warning that drug abuse was damaging the physical and mental health of young people, Shah said the money generated through the trade was also being used to fuel terrorism. He urged teachers to look out for behavioural changes among students and consult parents if they noticed signs of substance abuse. Parents and residents, too, should report drug-related activities in their neighbourhoods.

Shah said the government was establishing de-addiction centres and stressed that there should be no stigma attached to seeking treatment. The identities of those undergoing treatment would remain confidential, he added.

The announcement followed a joint meeting between the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Gujarat’s Home Department on Saturday, where discussions were held on implementing the new criminal laws, modernising the state Home Department and tackling drug trafficking.

Shah was in Ahmedabad to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for development projects worth around ₹1,400 crore. These included projects worth ₹1,024 crore through the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and another ₹400 crore through the Gujarat government’s Roads and Buildings Department and the Centre.

He also conducted a computerised draw for more than 9,000 houses and 16 shops, including permanent houses constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for residents of the Ramapir No Tekra slum in Vadaj, and handed over keys to beneficiaries.

Shah said more than 55,000 residents would benefit from social security, education and healthcare facilities once the entire project was completed. He also inaugurated the six-lane ISKCON-Sanand Elevated Corridor, built at an estimated cost of ₹415 crore to ease congestion on SG Highway.