Amit Shah calls for nationwide fight against drugs until 2029

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday called on police forces across the country to join a united nationwide campaign to eliminate narcotics by December 31, 2029, warning that drug abuse threatens future generations and funds organisations involved in anti-national activities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set December 31, 2029, as the deadline for achieving the goal of a drug-free India. Shah said the remaining months of 2026, along with 2027, 2028 and 2029, would be dedicated to a concerted campaign against drugs.Addressing the Police Commemoration Day event at the National Police Memorial in New Delhi, Shah described the fight against narcotics as a major national priority. He said drug abuse not only endangers the country's future generations but also places an undue burden on the economy.
Shah also highlighted India's efforts to combat Naxalism, stating that the country had eliminated the decades-long insurgency by March 31, 2026. He credited the Chhattisgarh Police, Central Armed Police Forces, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its CoBRA unit for their role in the operations.More than 3,600 security personnel and around 13,700 civilians were killed in violence linked to Naxalism between 1981 and March 2026, Shah said, paying tribute to the personnel who lost their lives in the fight against the insurgency.

#WATCH | Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "Today, we have gathered here to pay tribute to those brave police personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of the nation, from the time of independence to the present day. In the nearly 8 decades since independence, our nation has come to occupy a respected position on the global stage. At the very foundation of this achievement lies the sacrifice of our brave personnel. One can hardly imagine that, had these brave men and women not made the ultimate sacrifice to safeguard our internal security and protect our nation’s borders, where we would stand today."

— ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2026

The annual Police Commemoration Day event featured a joint parade by the Central Armed Police Forces and the Delhi Police. The day honours 10 police personnel killed in an ambush by heavily armed Chinese troops at Hot Springs in Ladakh on October 21, 1959.As part of the nationwide anti-drug campaign, Shah also flagged off a motorcycle rally titled “Fight Against Drugs”, involving around 90 police riders from several states and Union territories, the Central Armed Police Forces and other central police organisations.

#WATCH | Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah flags off a motorcycle rally on the occasion of the National Police Commemoration Day at the National Police Memorial. The rally features around 90 police riders from nine states and Union Territories, along with personnel from Central Armed Police Forces and Central Police Organisations. The bike rally is part of a nationwide rally themed 'Fight Against Drugs’, wherein riders will reach Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, to join the Ekta Parade on October 31, 2026.

— ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2026

The rally is part of an initiative under which participants from across the country will travel to Ekta Nagar in Gujarat to take part in the Ekta Parade on October 31, according to an official statement.Participants include riders from Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi. Personnel from the CRPF, Central Industrial Security Force, Border Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, National Security Guard, Railway Protection Force, National Disaster Response Force and National Investigation Agency are also participating.The initiative aims to spread awareness about the harmful effects of narcotics and strengthen the nationwide effort to achieve a drug-free India by the end of 2029.

(Freelance Journalist)