No tobacco stalls, drug-free campuses: CM Fadnavis unveils blueprint for Nasha-Mukt Maharashtra

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday called for a coordinated government effort to prevent young people from falling into drug addiction stressing the need to address the factors that push them towards substance abuseFadnavis made the remarks during a meeting at his official residence Varsha to discuss the proposed NashaMukt Maharashtra PolicyHe said the focus should be on preventing addiction rather than taking corrective measures only after young people become dependent on drugsHe also emphasised the need to approach those struggling with addiction with empathy and help them return to a constructive lifeDeaddiction centres in all government hospitalsFadnavis directed the government to establish deaddiction centres in every government hospital to support people struggling with substance abuseHe said such centres should be made operational in all government medical colleges under the Medical Education Department Existing deaddiction centres operating with Central Government support should also be strengthened with funds provided wherever requiredThe Chief Minister directed officials to formulate a standard operating procedure for the effective implementation of deaddiction programmesHe also stressed that preventive measures must accompany the expansion of deaddiction facilities to ensure that those who overcome addiction do not relapseSchools colleges to be made drugfreeFadnavis directed authorities to ensure that school and college campuses are completely free of drugs tobacco stalls and unauthorised kiosksHe said principals and headmasters should initiate the process of formally declaring their campuses drugfreeThe Chief Minister also directed officials to complete the process of incorporating lessons on the harmful effects of drugs and substance abuse into the school curriculumFasttrack courts for drugrelated casesFadnavis called for effective enforcement of laws including the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances NDPS Act in cases involving drugrelated offencesHe directed authorities to establish fasttrack courts for speedy disposal of such cases and constitute a panel of special public prosecutors along the lines of the Central Government to handle narcoticsrelated caseslsquoAddiction should not make youth feel like criminalsrsquoFadnavis said young people who have inadvertently fallen into addiction should not be made to develop a mindset that they are criminalsInstead he said deaddiction centres should provide them with an opportunity to rebuild their lives through positive and constructive interventionsAt the same time he called for strict action against those involved in the production of narcotic substances and directed authorities to take immediate measures whenever signs of substance abuse are detected among young peopleStatelevel NCORD Apex Committee proposedThe Chief Minister said districtlevel committees have a crucial role in combating narcotics and directed authorities to assess their performanceHe also called for a districtranking system based on the performance of these committees and directed that a statelevel NCORD Apex Committee be established under the chairmanship of the Chief MinisterOfficials were also asked to study successful international practices for creating awareness about drug abuse and develop an effective communication strategy for MaharashtraNarcotics seizures rise in MaharashtraAccording to data presented at the meeting authorities seized 43632 kg of narcotic substances worth Rs 897 crore under the NDPS Act in 2023In 2025 the quantity seized rose to 56206 kg valued at Rs 1340 crore Compared with 2023 the quantity of narcotics seized increased by 29 per cent while the value rose by 49 per centMinister of State for Home Rural Pankaj Bhoyar and Minister of State for Home Urban Yogesh Kadam were among those present at the meeting along with senior state government and police officials