New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday announced that the government has set a target to eliminate the drug menace from India by December 31, 2029, ANI reported. 'We have set a target to eliminate the drug menace from India by December 31, 2029,' Shah said while addressing Police Commemoration Day at the National Police Memorial in the national capital.

Shah called for a united fight against narcotics over the remaining part of 2026 and across 2027, 2028 and 2029, and urged police forces across the country to work with full commitment towards the roadmap for a drug-free India, in line with the goal set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ANI reported. PTI, reporting the same address, said Shah described the remaining months of 2026 and the following three years as a period for a united nationwide campaign against drugs.

The Home Minister said the drug menace is a serious challenge because it damages future generations, places an undue burden on the economy and provides financial support to organisations involved in anti-national activities, according to ANI. Nation Press, in its report, quoted Shah as calling the goal 'even more important than tackling the three hotspots' and framing drugs as a public-health, economic and national-security threat at once.

Shah made the announcement while paying tribute to police martyrs on Police Commemoration Day. He said a total of 36,852 police personnel have laid down their lives in the line of duty since Independence, including 154 this year, ANI reported. Sources: ANI, PTI, Nation Press.