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The Centre has approved the establishment of six new zonal offices of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in places such as Port Blair, Dimapur, Aizawl, Shimla, Shillong and Gangtok, near the international border with a view to curb drugs smuggling, the government informed the Parliament on Tuesday.
The move to significantly expand its regional and zonal network, creating hundreds of additional new posts and approving a dedicated Directorate of Prosecution as part of measures to strengthen the country’s anti-narcotics agency is relevant in the backdrop of the Centre launching a three years targeted crackdown on drugs while setting a goal of making India drug free by 2047. The NCB has identified different border areas through which drugs are smuggled into India and opening regional, zonal and sub zonal offices to launch a targeted action.
Replying to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said six new zonal offices have been approved at Port Blair, Dimapur, Aizawl, Shimla, Shillong and Gangtok. He said the number of regional offices has increased from three to seven with the addition of offices at Amritsar, Guwahati, Chennai and Ahmedabad.
Rai said the number of zonal offices has increased from 13 to 30 across the country through the addition of new offices at Gorakhpur, Siliguri, Agartala, Itanagar and Raipur, and by upgrading 12 existing sub-zones into zonal offices.
“In addition, 10 field offices have been approved and operationalised. 568 new posts have been created in the sanctioned strength of the NCB. In- principle approval has also been accorded for the establishment of a dedicated Directorate of Prosecution within the bureau. Additionally, 36 prosecutors have been engaged at regional and zonal offices to add value to the effective prosecution efforts,”he said in his reply.
Listing measures that the government has taken to check and prevent illicit trafficking of narcotics, he said, includes the release of the Vision Document on Narcotics Control (2026-2029), establishment of a four-tier Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) mechanism, creation of a Joint Coordination Committee to monitor significant drug cases, financial investigations under the PITNDPS Act, specialised training programmes for enforcement agencies, and enhanced international cooperation through bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding
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PM Narendra Modi has pledged to make India drug-free by 2047, a target that Home Minister Amit Shah has also reiterated on multiple occasions. The Vision Documents – 3 year plan for 2026 and 2029, according to the government, defines responsibilities, timelines and measurable targets for all stakeholders while integrating enforcement, demand reduction, rehabilitation, public awareness, capacity building, and inter-agency coordination
