Amit Shah Sets 2028 Deadline For Drug-Free Gujarat, 2029 For India

Amit Shah on Monday asserted that governments alone cannot eradicate narcotics without active public support, and urged citizens to report drug abuse to authorities via dedicated helplines. 

Addressing a gathering here after launching development projects worth Rs 1,024 crore, Shah said that while the deadline to make India drug-free is December 31, 2029, Gujarat needs to achieve the status by December 31, 2028.

"Drug abuse hollows out our youth and the future generations. It undermines our country's future by impairing the minds, bodies, cognitive abilities, and sensory faculties of our young people. 

Moreover, money



generated from the drug trade is used to fuel terrorism within the country," the Union home minister said, urging citizens to report any instances of drug sales to the authorities.

He noted that while the government has succeeded in making the country free from Naxalism, it cannot afford to rest.

"Our goal is to build a drug-free India by December 31, 2029. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I hail from Gujarat, we need not wait until 2029. It is our responsibility to ensure that Gujarat becomes drug-free well before December 31, 2028," he said.

Shah stressed that creating a drug-free nation is a collective societal responsibility.