Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced a toll-free helpline, 1033, for citizens to report the sale and consumption of drugs in Gujarat, setting a target of making the state drug-free by December 31, 2028 — a year ahead of the national target.
Addressing a public gathering in Ahmedabad, Shah said the 1033 helpline and a dedicated control room would become operational from December 1. Citizens, parents and teachers can report drug-related activity by calling the number, and the identity of informants will be kept confidential. The state government will ensure action on information received through the helpline within three hours, he said.
A year ahead of the national target
Shah said the government has set a target of making India drug-free by December 31, 2029, after working towards a Naxal-free country. Gujarat, he said, should not wait until 2029 and must take responsibility for achieving the goal a year earlier. He described drug abuse as a serious threat to the physical and mental health, concentration and future of young people, and said the government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy to completely eradicate the menace.
The announcement came as Shah inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for development projects worth around Rs 1,400 crore in Ahmedabad, including around 30 public welfare projects undertaken by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel was present at the event.
Appeal to parents, teachers and citizens
The Home Minister called upon citizens, teachers and parents to play an active role in the campaign. He urged teachers to arrange testing and consult parents whenever they noticed unusual changes in a child’s behaviour, and asked people to report any instances of drug sale or consumption in their surroundings.
Shah referred to a recent joint meeting between the Union Home Ministry and Gujarat’s Home Department, where discussions were held on the implementation of the new criminal laws, modernisation of the Home Department and making Gujarat drug-free. He also stressed that drug money fuels terrorism, making the fight against narcotics a matter of national security as well as public health.
The helpline push builds on sustained enforcement against narcotics networks. A recent multi-state operation busted a Northeast drug cartel and froze over a thousand bank accounts, showing the scale of the trade the government is targeting. Shah has previously said that former conflict zones in Kashmir and the Northeast are now peaceful, and the drug-free campaign is being presented as the next phase of that security push.
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