Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) virtually attended the Regional Conference on Drug Trafficking and National Security for Northern States/UTs chaired by the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah in Delhi on July 17.

ADGP Ladakh Police, DS Jamwal, IPS, and Secretary to LG, Ravinder Kumar, IAS, were present in the meeting.

Over 1,44,000 kg of drugs worth ₹2,416 crores was destroyed in various parts of the country by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in coordination with Anti-Narcotics Task Forces (ANTFs) of all states in the presence of the Home Minister in the event. 

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stated that the Government has adopted a ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy against narcotics to create a drugs-free India.

Home Minister Amit Shah virtually laid the foundation stone for the Regional and Zonal Offices of NCB Delhi at Dwarka and Zonal Office at Amritsar along with the inauguration of the Regional Office at Amritsar and Zonal Offices of NCB at Amritsar and Bhubaneshwar. He also launched the compendium on Drug-Free India. 

During the remarks sought from the Chief Ministers/Governors/Lieutenant Governors of States/UTs, the Hon’ble Lt Governor from Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) stated that Ladakh is a major attraction for tourists due to which more than five lakh tourists visit Ladakh annually- which is twice the number of the local population. He also stated that drug traffickers take advantage of the exponential number of tourists visiting Ladakh to indulge in drug trafficking and try to smuggle drugs into the region. He further stated that drug traffickers also indulge Ladakhi students studying outside the region to smuggle drugs into Ladakh.

LG informed about various initiatives taken by the Administration in collaboration with Ladakh Police to control the menace of drugs trafficking and substance abuse in Ladakh through awareness programmes and the formation of anti-drug squads in schools, colleges, and the university comprising students under the guidance of a senior teacher/lecturer. He also informed that de-addiction programs have also been initiated and also about efforts being made to encourage the addicts not to re-indulge in drugs/substance abuse after successfully undergoing de-addiction training.

Informing that about 10 cases under the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act were registered in Leh while five such cases under the NDPS Act were registered in Kargil, LG stated that fewer narcotic cases registered in Ladakh show the effectiveness of the awareness programmes organised by the Administration and the Ladakh Police to eradicate drugs from the region. 

He informed that UT Administration will focus on all the seven roadmaps proposed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to make Ladakh drugs-free.