Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Ministry of Home Affairs has turned its administrative and security focus toward eradicating the drug menace, establishing a firm deadline of Dec. 31, 2029, to make the country narcotics-free, The Times of India reported. Speaking at the National Police Memorial in New Delhi on Police Commemoration Day, Shah outlined a new security roadmap following what he described as the successful containment of India’s primary internal conflict zones.
Marking the End of Decades of Left-Wing Extremism
According to Shah, the year 2026 stands as a watershed moment for Indian law enforcement. The federal government officially secured freedom from violent Naxalism on March 31, 2026, bringing an end to a conflict that had persisted since 1981. Over that decades-long period, official figures note that more than 36,000 security personnel and nearly 13,700 innocent civilians lost their lives.
The Home Minister specifically credited the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), its specialized CoBRA battalion, and the Chhattisgarh Police for their roles in neutralizing left-wing extremism. Alongside this milestone, Shah reported that peace has been firmly established across the country’s other two historical hotspots: Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast region, creating a security environment now conducive to local development.
Mobilizing Police Forces Against Narcotics
With domestic insurgency theaters largely stabilized, the Ministry of Home Affairs has dedicated the remainder of 2026 and the subsequent three years to tackling narcotics trafficking. Shah warned that the drug menace poses a severe threat by damaging younger generations, straining the national economy, and funneling financial support to organizations engaged in anti-national activities.
To jump-start the administration’s ‘nasha-mukt Bharat’ (addiction-free India) roadmap, Shah flagged off a nationwide motorcycle rally from the National Police Memorial. The demonstration features riders representing states, Union territories, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). These contingents are traveling toward Kevadia, Gujarat, where they will converge to participate in the Ekta Diwas parade on Oct. 31.
Honoring Casualties and Celebrating Integration in Gujarat
The annual Police Commemoration Day observance centered on honoring the 36,852 security personnel who have died in the line of duty since independence. Dignitaries including Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau Director Mahesh Dixit, and the Directors General of several CAPFs joined the wreath-laying ceremony.
The upcoming Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations in Kevadia will mark both Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary and 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’, alongside the formal celebration of the end of armed Naxalism. Around 7,000 participants and spectators from 126 districts previously affected by left-wing extremism will attend the event.
