Rajnath reviews NCB functioning

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday reviewed the functioning of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in view of BRICS Heads of Anti-Drug Working Group meeting here on July 8.

BRICS comprises five major emerging national economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

NCB chief Rai Bhatnagar informed the minister about the steps taken by the agency to tackle the drug menace in India.

He said the NCB undertook a large number of operations in coordination with other countries leading to the unearthing of as many as 29 international drug syndicates.

An NCB drive was also undertaken to identify the areas where illicit cultivation of opium and cannabis was undertaken and these crops destroyed in coordination with state governments.

Increased surveillance by the Border Security Force and other agencies on the international borders also helped reduce smuggling of heroin and other opiates into India.

--IANS

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