Monday, July 25, 2022

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group


 Tussle for control of the Narcotics Control Bureau

Home Ministry wants NCB NDPS under its control

Finance Ministry has its own views

 

 

It’s official now. What was being whispered in the corridors of powers till now is official. The Union Home ministry under Amit Shah is keen that the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) currently under the Finance ministry be transferred to it.

The matter has been engaging the attention of the Union Government for the past several years but no decision was taken. However, no one had commented on it ealier. The Drug controlling regulatory body has been under the Finance ministry. Now the Union Home ministry wants NDPS to be brought under its control for better control of the menace and coordination.

Surprisingly, the cat was out of the bag today in the Lok Sabha when the Union Finance ministry replied, “The matter is under discussion and no decision has been taken yet.”

The response came when a question was asked by the BJP Lok Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Singh, “whether there is any proposal of shifting the administration of NDPS Act to the Ministry of Home Affairs”.

The Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Choudhary replied that the NDP Act 1985 was framed while amalgamating three central acts which were earlier administered by the Ministry of Finance viz. the Opium Act, 1857, the Opium Act, 1878 and the Drug Dangerous Act, 1930. The Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance has been functioning as the Nodal Department in the field of Drug Administration since beginning.”  It transpires that the matter is currently pending in South Block housing the Cabinet Secretariat and the PMO.