The proposed regional forum called the South Asian Regional Intelligence and Coordination Centre on Transnational Organised Crime (SARICC-TOC) was mooted during a meeting between the grouping's countries in New Delhi last year and should be up and working in the next six months time to share vital intelligence and information on the illicit drugs trade and trafficking in the shared region of the neighbours.
"The SARICC-TOC should get established in the next six months. It will be a major development and will play an important role in preventing flow of money in these transnational crimes and preventing such illicit financial flows," Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia told PTI yesterday.
The Indian government, he said, is poised to take a "greater leadership role" in drug control and fighting transnational organised crime that has a negative impact on development and security.
"This is in line with India's growing stature and geopolitical position being at the cross-roads of major drug production centres and trafficking hubs," Adhia said.
In India, the Department of Revenue under the Finance Ministry, is the nodal empowered department mandated to frame policies to combat the narcotics menace while the enforcement of laws in this domain is entrusted with central agencies like the Narcotics Control Bureau and various state police departments.
In his speech, Adhia highlighted some concerns that policy making bodies and law enforcement agencies are facing to curb the illegal use of narcotics and its trafficking.
"Money laundering and illicit financial flows and proceeds of crime generated from drug trafficking and other trans-national organised crime remain a major challenge.
"In order to effectively counter this challenge, India has recently amended its laws related to money laundering and Foreign Exchange Management Act," he said.
India's concerns with regard to the growing trend of illicit poppy cultivation and production of opium in the country and also globally.
"India remains concerned with the growing illicit poppy cultivation and illicit production of opium in the world as highlighted by the Word Drug Report 2015. India is geographically sandwiched between two of the major illicit opium and heroin producing regions of the world and faces challenges due to trafficking originating from these regions," Adhia said.
"The cultivation of cannabis in many countries, with certain countries permitting its so called 'recreational use' also remains a major concern," he said.
Adhia said "more substances" that could act as NPS are being examined to be effectively regulated under the anti-narcotics laws.
While psychoactive substances are those chemical substances that alter brain functioning and result in alterations of perception or consciousness, precursors are widely used to make illicit drugs.
He said while clamping down on the illegal use of the drugs and their abuse, India has also kept in mind the concerns of the usage of these substances in medical and palliative care.
"I am happy to inform that India took a major step in this direction in May, 2015 by notifying uniform and simplified rules leading to removal of the regulatory barriers that have been acting as hindrances to availability of drugs such as morphine and methadone for palliative care, pain relief and opioid substitution therapy," he said.
"These rules were drafted with the active participation of civil society and the palliative care community. I am sure that this issue will receive due attention in the forthcoming Special session of the UN General Assembly next month and all the stakeholders will progressively work towards ensuring adequate access to controlled medicines for Medical and Scientific Purposes," Adhia said.