Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday said the state government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards eradication of smuggling of psychotropic substances and drugs.
Addressing a conference on drug trafficking and national security held under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah here, Thakur said under the policy of zero tolerance against drugs, strict action was being ensured against the producers and suppliers of drugs with the aim of bridging the network from the point of origin of the drugs to the point of destination.
He said under this policy the state-level drug crime control unit has been setup.The Chief Minister said proper use of technology was being made against drugs in Himachal Pradesh.
He said the toll-free drug prevention helpline number 1908 had been launched by the state in 2019. The main objective of this helpline was to encourage the public to share information about drug traffickers and to provide counselling to drug addicts and their parents regarding de-addiction. The identity of the informers was being kept secret.
The Chief Minister said a detailed policy was being prepared by the state for prevention of drug production, its smuggling and consumption and alternative development programs for rehabilitation, de-addiction, etc.
He said many innovative practices have been started by the police to check drug smugglers which has provided positive results so far. He said 5,855 cases have been registered and 7,938 accused were arrested in the last four years under the NDPS Act.
The Chief Minister stressed on the need to make the process of drug prevention and control more emphatic, besides training on practical utilisation of technology.
In the conference, Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Lt. Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha shared information about the work being done against the drug abuse.