The Union government on Wednesday said that certain Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) were trying to “change the demography” of the country through foreign funding and this would not be allowed.
Replying to a short discussion in the Lok Sabha on the drug abuse crisis in the country, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said some NGOs and civil society organisations were working with the government to create awareness on the drug menace. But NGOs who do not follow FCRA rules will not be tolerated. “Those who want to change the demography of the country using FCRA funds cannot be allowed. We will not allow any foreign funds to destroy the country. Enough had taken place during your [UPA] rule. This is Narendra Modi’s government,” Mr. Shah said.
Participating in a debate, Congress Member Gaurav Gogoi had earlier said that the government was not allowing civil society organisations to work properly by subjecting them to investigation under Foreign Contribution (Regulatory) Act. The government had cancelled the FCRA registration of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in October.
Durgs seized
The Home Minister said that the Modi government was committed to rooting out the drug menace from the country. Mr. Shah added that drugs worth ₹97,000 crore were destroyed between 2014 and 2022 while ₹23,000 crore drugs were seized between 2006 and 2013.
“We have mapped the drug network across the States. No matter how big the criminal is, in the next two years there will be a situation that they will be behind bars,” Mr. Shah said. He said that the Modi government has zero tolerance policy towards money from the drug trade being used to fund terrorism.
“Drugs not only destroy our future generations and families, but lead to other kinds of social evils as well. The money from the drug trade provides economic sustenance to terrorism. The country’s economy is also destroyed by this dirty money,” he said.
The government has empowered the Border Security Force, SSB and Assam Rifles. All three have been empowered to register cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, (NDPS). “Powers have been given to security forces, but some States have said that their powers have been taken away… If we do not give powers to our agencies, how will they be able to work? We must have faith in our security forces, those politicising the issue are supporting drug trafficking,” Mr. Shah said.
He said that the drugs network chart has been sent to the States after mapping the route of drugs and its network in 472 districts. The government is also setting up six regional labs so that there is no delay in testing of narcotics samples and criminals cannot escape.
Taking a dig at the Congress, he said that a national leader had said in a speech that one of the largest drug hauls has been in Gujarat. “If the maximum quantity of drugs are caught in a State, it means that that State has done a good job against drugs. We cannot bury our heads in the sand thinking that the storm will pass us by, the country cannot be saved through an ostrich like approach”.
The campaign against drugs cannot be that of any one government, all the agencies of the Centre and States have to come on the same platform and run this campaign with equal intensity and seriousness, only then will we be able to save the future generations, he added.
