Amit Shah sets December 2029 target for drug-free India

Union home minister Amit Shah has set December 31, 2029, as the target for making India narcotics-free, asking police forces across the country to take an active role in implementing the government's ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ roadmap. He outlined the priority at a Police Commemoration Day event in New Delhi on October 21, according to The Economic Times.

Shah said the remainder of 2026 and the next three years would be devoted to tackling drug trafficking and substance abuse. He presented the campaign as the Centre's next major internal-security focus, citing what he described as the restoration of peace in Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeast and areas affected by left-wing extremism.

The December 2029 deadline is a government target, not an achieved outcome. The report does not detail intermediate enforcement or treatment milestones against which progress towards a narcotics-free India would be measured.

Police mobilisation and a nationwide rally

Shah also flagged off a nationwide motorcycle rally promoting the fight against drugs. The reported participation includes five riders each from 36 states and Union territories, along with representation from nine Central Armed Police Forces.

Riders travelling from different parts of India are due to converge at Kevadia in Gujarat for the Ekta Diwas parade on October 31.

At the National Police Memorial in New Delhi, Shah laid a wreath in tribute to the 36,852 police personnel who, the report said, had died in the line of duty. Police Commemoration Day honours personnel who lost their lives protecting the country and maintaining law and order.

Shah cites gains against armed Naxalism

Describing 2026 as a landmark year for police forces, Shah said they had ended the decades-old threat of violent Naxalism. He singled out the Central Reserve Police Force, its Commando Battalion for Resolute Action—CoBRA—and Chhattisgarh Police for their contribution.

The Centre had previously set March 31, 2026, as its deadline to end armed Naxalism. Shah's assertion that the threat has ended remains the government's assessment; the report does not provide incident data or other independent evidence establishing that outcome.

The government plans to mark the claimed end of armed Naxalism alongside the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’ during this year's Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations. Around 7,000 people from 126 districts previously affected by left-wing extremism are expected to attend the parade and Bharat Parv in Kevadia as performers and spectators. Around 5,000 additional residents from those districts have been invited.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to attend. Union home secretary Govind Mohan said the communities' participation would recognise their resilience after conflict and the contribution of cultural expression to national integration. CAPF and state police contingents involved in countering left-wing extremist violence will take part in march-pasts.

Punjab visits precede the national announcement

A day earlier, on October 20, Shah visited families in Punjab and pledged to eliminate the state's drug trade by the same December 31, 2029, deadline. He said the accounts he heard were more troubling than the picture he had received through reports in New Delhi.

In Gurdaspur, Shah met the family of 40-year-old Bikramjit Singh, whose death was allegedly linked to drugs. He then visited Gulzar Singh's family in Sangrur and the family of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa. Jhota had been killed the previous week, the report said; it did not establish responsibility or a motive for his killing.

Speaking in Ludhiana, Shah said others affected by the ‘chitta’ trade had gathered at the homes to describe their experiences. He also accused the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government of failing to honour a promise to eradicate drugs within three months of taking office.

That charge is Shah's political allegation. The report does not include a response from Mann or AAP, or a separate assessment of the state government's performance against the cited promise.