Ahmedabad: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday, November 7, called for intensified action against narcotics networks in Gujarat, directing all enforcement agencies to coordinate their efforts and expand public awareness campaigns as part of the Centre's target of achieving a drug-free India by 2029, IANS reported.
Source: IANS
Chairing a high-level review meeting in Ahmedabad, attended by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Shah stressed the need for strict action against narcotic drugs and intoxicating substances and called for a comprehensive action plan to strengthen enforcement, alongside intensive drives by all agencies and wider campaigns to raise public awareness about drug abuse.
The meeting, held ahead of Diwali, reviewed Gujarat's law and order situation, border and coastal security, drug control, cybercrime, counter-terrorism measures and the functioning of the criminal justice system. Senior officials of the Union Home Ministry, the state Home Department and various security agencies attended, and the review also covered police modernisation, economic offences, infiltration, encroachments in border areas, disaster management, forensic infrastructure, prisons and inter-state cooperation.
Officials briefed the Home Minister on the presence of illegal Bangladeshi nationals in Gujarat, cases registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and enforcement of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Shah also discussed issues concerning 'love jihad', drought conditions, farmers' problems and the situation in border districts, and offered suggestions to the state government.
Source: Nation Press
Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Das briefed Shah on progress made on issues raised during previous meetings with the Union Home Ministry, particularly those relating to security and border management. Director General of Police G. S. Malik gave a detailed account of the law and order situation, border management and the quadrilateral security grid, and outlined measures including 'Operation Mule Hunt', the 112 Janrakshak service, the 1930 cyber fraud helpline and Mission Prabodh, which focuses on tackling cyber fraud, besides action against digital arrests and 'cyber slavery'.
Cybersecurity and counter-terrorism measures featured prominently, including the establishment of S4C, the Central Investigation Analytical Repository, the Cyber Commando initiative, the UAPA Dedicated Cell and the proposed Model Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) structure. The implementation of the Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS), the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), the e-Sakshya application and e-summons was also reviewed, as were the Foreigners Identification Portal, district-wise data on foreign nationals, citizenship-related data under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and arrangements for the extradition of fugitives.
On border and coastal security, Shah reviewed suspicious activities along the state's borders and the implementation of the Vibrant Villages Programme. Disaster management discussions covered the capacity-building of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the use of state and national disaster funds, and plans to prevent urban flooding in Ahmedabad.
Shah is on a four-day visit to Gujarat, having arrived on Friday evening. A separate review meeting involving officials of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) and the state Home Department is also part of his engagements, focused on preparations for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and urban development. On November 9, he is scheduled to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for 30 development projects worth Rs 1,024 crore in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency.
Source: BizzBuzz (IANS)