New Delhi, Oct. 21 -- Union Home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that narcotics threaten future generations and provide financial support to organisations involved in anti-national activities as he asked police forces across the country to ensure the drug menace is eliminated by the end of 2029.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a deadline of December 31, 2029, to make India drugs-free.

Paying homage to police martyrs at the National Police Memorial (NPM) here on Police Commemoration Day, Shah said the remaining months of 2026, along with 2027, 2028 and 2029, would be devoted to a united fight against drugs.

He described the target as a major national priority, warning that drug abuse threatens future generations, places an undue burden on the economy and provides financial support to organisations involved in anti-national activities.

Police forces across the country should work towards the government's goal of a drug-free India, he said, stressing the campaign was essential to protect the country's future generations.

The minister noted that the country has eliminated decades of Naxalism by March 31, 2026, crediting Chhattisgarh Police, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and CoBRA for their role in combating insurgency.

Shah said more than 3,600 security personnel and approximately 13,700 civilians had been killed in violence associated with Naxalism between 1981 and March 2026.

He praised the CRPF, its CoBRA battalion and the Chhattisgarh Police for their efforts in combating Naxalism.

Shah said CAPF personnel, while staying away from their families, remain vigilant and strengthen the nation's internal security on every occasion, whether during elections, festivals, protests or border security duties.

Security personnel achieved a significant success by ensuring that West Bengal elections were completed without a single fatality, establishing a new benchmark, the Union Home Minister said.

Shah presided over the annual event, which included a joint parade of Central Armed Police Forces and Delhi Police.

The annual function is organised in remembrance of 10 police personnel killed in an ambush by heavily armed Chinese troops at Hot Springs in Ladakh on October 21, 1959.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.