NCB Chief meets Manipur Governor to combat drug trafficking

Imphal: Under the directive of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Director General of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) held a discussion with Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan in Imphal on Friday, according to a Raj Bhavan communique.

The Union Home Minister’s announcement of "No mercy for drug cartels" during his Assam visit on March 16 prompted the meeting.

In reference to India’s fight against drugs, Amit Shah wrote, "To accelerate the Modi government's march toward building a drug-free Bharat, authorities have seized a massive consignment of methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 88 crore and arrested 4 members of the international drug cartel in Imphal and Guwahati zones."

On Friday, Anurag Garg, Director General of NCB; Monika Ashish Batra, Deputy Director General (North Eastern Region), NCB; and Prakash Ranjan Mishra, Additional Director and Zonal Director, NCB, also met with Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at Raj Bhavan, Imphal.

The officers provided a detailed briefing on the various initiatives undertaken by the NCB to combat illicit drug trafficking in the region.

As per the ministry’s report, about 8.5 lakh people are injecting drugs in India, with opioids being the most concerning category. The prevalence of opioid use in India is three times the global average (0.7% vs. 2.1%).