Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the third National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) heads of states and Union Territories in New Delhi on Tuesday, with the two-day conference focusing on strengthening the country’s efforts against drug trafficking and substance abuse.
During the event, Shah will release television commercials aimed at raising awareness about the harmful effects of drugs and the importance of preventing substance abuse. He will also lay the foundation stones for new Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal office complexes in Lucknow and Dehradun.
The conference will also feature the felicitation of the best-performing ANTF among the states and Union Territories. The revamped NCB website is also scheduled to be launched during the event.
Organised by the NCB, the conference will bring together ANTF heads from all 36 states and Union Territories, along with representatives of various government departments, agencies and other stakeholders involved in the fight against narcotics.
The conference is being held under the theme “United Resolve, Shared Responsibility” and will review progress towards targets assigned to state and UT ANTFs under the recently released Vision Document on Narcotics Control (2026-29).
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the deliberations will focus on measures to strengthen efforts against drug trafficking and substance abuse, including supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction.
The technical sessions will be structured around four key pillars outlined in the Vision Document: Enforcement, Intelligence and Operations; Precursors and Synthetic Drugs Control; Demand and Harm Reduction; and Capacity Building and Coordination.
Eight technical sessions have been planned during the two-day conference, covering various aspects of narcotics control and coordinated enforcement.
Officials said the conference would provide a platform for states, Union Territories, government departments and agencies to strengthen a whole-of-government approach to tackling the drug menace.
They said the deliberations are expected to produce actionable strategies for strengthening drug law enforcement mechanisms and protecting young people from the harmful effects of substance abuse.
The conference will also seek to further strengthen coordination between the NCB and state and UT ANTFs, with an emphasis on intelligence-sharing, joint operations and other coordinated measures.
Officials said the Centre's efforts are aimed at building a stronger institutional framework to combat drug trafficking and substance abuse and advance the broader objective of a drug-free India.
