GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on August 30 called for a coordinated national effort involving the Centre and states to dismantle narcotics networks and build a drug-free India.
Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on the issue during his latest Mann Ki Baat address, Sarma said Assam’s anti-drug campaign had continued since 2021 under the banner of #AssamAgainstDrugs.
Sarma said narcotics worth more than Rs 3,253 crore had been seized in Assam since the campaign began, while more than 26,500 people had been arrested in connection with the drug trade. He said arrests increased from 4,175 in 2021 to 4,901 in 2025.
He also referred to the recent destruction of seized contraband worth more than Rs 472 crore in Nalbari, saying the exercise demonstrated that confiscated drugs would not return to Assamese homes.
Sarma said Assam’s geographical location made it vulnerable to narcotics trafficking, with drugs originating in Myanmar often routed through Mizoram and Manipur before being transported to other parts of the country.
He stressed the need for greater coordination with the Centre, intelligence sharing, inter-state border surveillance and technology to intercept drug consignments.
Referring to the Centre’s Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan, Sarma said its planned 100 weeks of grassroots engagement with young people would complement enforcement through prevention and awareness.
“The fight will not pause,” Sarma said, adding that Assam would continue working with the Centre to dismantle narcotics networks operating across state and international borders and prevent young people from falling prey to drug addiction.
