Kerala Home Minister urges tougher drug law and national summit
Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to convene a centre-state meeting and tighten the NDPS Act to combat drug trafficking.
Ramesh Chennithala, Kerala's Home Minister, posted that he has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking a high-level meeting of state home ministers to address drug abuse nationwide. He cited the success of Kerala's Operation Toofan, which uncovered extensive narcotics networks reaching other states and foreign countries. Chennithala criticized the existing NDPS Act for permitting bail and repeat offenses, pointing to practices such as repackaging drugs, new synthetic varieties, forensic delays, and benami accounts.
He urged a comprehensive overhaul of the law to impose harsher sentences and to seize the financial assets of drug mafias. The minister also offered Kerala as a venue for the proposed summit and noted Shah's earlier praise for Operation Toofan's progress.
Why it matters
Stricter drug laws and coordinated action could curb trafficking that crosses state and national borders.
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