Amit Shah Sets December 31, 2029 Deadline for Making Madhya Pradesh Drug-Free

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday announced December 31, 2029, as the target date for making Madhya Pradesh free of narcotics, saying he would work with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and state Home Department officials to draw up a detailed action plan.

Addressing a state-level conference of cattle rearers in Bhopal, Shah called for public participation in the campaign against drug abuse and urged parents, particularly mothers, to remain alert to the impact of narcotics on young people.

Shah said he would hold discussions with the Chief Minister and senior officials to determine the measures required to achieve the target, including efforts aimed at preventing drug abuse and tackling narcotics networks.

The announcement comes as the Union government continues its wider campaign against drug trafficking, with the Home Ministry focusing on disrupting organised narcotics networks alongside prevention, treatment and rehabilitation initiatives.

During his Bhopal visit, Shah also inaugurated an exhibition highlighting India's new criminal laws and said the revised legal framework was intended to bring significant changes to the country's criminal justice system.

He said the new laws were aimed at reducing delays in criminal proceedings and ensuring that cases are resolved within defined timelines.

Shah said the new criminal justice framework would seek to ensure that convictions in cases involving proven offences take place within a specified period, including through proceedings at higher courts. He also criticised the prolonged delays associated with the earlier system.

The Home Minister said the new laws represented a departure from the criminal justice framework introduced during British rule, arguing that the earlier system was primarily structured around protecting the colonial administration, while the new framework places greater emphasis on the rights and security of citizens.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam replaced the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and Indian Evidence Act respectively from July 1, 2024.

Shah said the new framework was based on the principle of delivering justice rather than focusing solely on punishment.