Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lauded the rhino conservation efforts in the country and said the Project Rhino has been initiated for financial and technical support to the range states for protection, habitat management, and understanding population dynamics of the endangered species.

On the occasion of World Rhino Day, Modi said the country celebrates the magnificent greater one-horned rhinoceros and lauds all those at the forefront of its protection.

“Assam now holds nearly 80 per cent of the world’s rhino population and Kaziranga’s efforts to end rhino poaching have been extensively appreciated,” he said in a post on ‘X’.

The prime minister said on one hand, rhinos have either returned or are well protected in parts of Bihar and West Bengal, on the other hand, success of reintroduction of rhinos in Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh) is creating history.

“This shows the sustained commitment of our people towards animal protection and active wildlife management in the range states,” he said.

Taking species conservation in the country forward, Modi said he was happy to share that Project Rhino has been initiated for financial and technical support to the range states for protection, habitat management, genetic improvement and understanding population dynamics.

World Rhino Day is a day of awareness for all five rhino species and the work being done to save them. Since 2011, World Rhino Day has been celebrated internationally on September 22 by rhino experts and advocates around the world.

The day is especially important to raise awareness of the plight of rhinos because they are regularly poached for their horns which are sold illegally and used in traditional medicine — despite no scientific proof that these remedies work.

New Delhi, Sep 22: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah today inaugurated the 3rd National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Heads of States/UTs in New Delhi. On this occasion, the Union Home Minister launched Television Commercials (TVCs) to spread awareness against narcotic substances and laid the foundation stone of new zonal complexes of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Lucknow and Dehradun. During the event, the best-performing ANTF of States and UTs were also honoured. In addition, the Union Home Minister launched the newly designed website of the NCB. In the two-day conference organised by the NCB, ANTF heads from 36 States and Union Territories, along with representatives of concerned government departments and other stakeholders, are participating.

In his address, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have for the past five years been taking one step after another in an effort to achieve the difficult goal of a drug free India. He said that the time has now come to deliver a decisive blow against narcotics, which have become the most serious threat to the country and the world, and to achieve victory through collective efforts. Shah said that by 31 December 2029, we will collectively succeed in uprooting the drug trade from India.

Shah said that in the past five years we have achieved success against several challenges such as terrorism in Kashmir, insurgency in the Northeast and the problem of Naxalism. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) with the cooperation of all the states, we have ended these major problems that have confronted the country for decades. He said that the fight against drugs is the most difficult of all battles, but we cannot abandon this fight. Shah said that to build a Viksit Bharat by 2047, to save future generations and to connect the youth with India’s development, the only option before us is to make India drug-free. We will have to fight this problem unitedly and with passion, and we must achieve victory.

Union Home Minister said that the ‘Vision Document 2026-2029’ is like the Gita for all those involved in this fight. This Vision Document has been prepared with great effort after discussions with more than 35 departments. He said that we have prepared the complete roadmap after taking suggestions from all stakeholders, and it has been given to everyone with definite targets. Targets and timelines have also been fixed in it. The Home Minister said that it will also be reviewed after some time. Shah added that the MHA or the NCB cannot do all this alone. We all have to fight this battle with top priority and complete dedication, and we have to win it as well.

Shah said that it should be our shared responsibility and resolve to end this menace of drugs that is hollowing out future generations. Our resolve should be that we will not allow even one gram of drugs to enter the country from anywhere in the world, nor will even one gram of drugs go from our country to the world. He said that we have prepared this roadmap with a resolve for the welfare of youth across the world. Shah said that we will have to work for a drug-free India with sensitivity, with an understanding of its importance, and as the topmost priority. He said – Meet once the parents and siblings of even one young person afflicted by drugs. Until you meet them, intensity in this fight cannot arise in you. A weeping, wailing mother, a younger sister, and a boy who ranked in the top 10 in the Class 10 board examination is slowly moving towards death, while his helpless parents watch. There can be no greater sorrow than this for anyone, and for us too it is a national loss. A talented child who was going to contribute to India’s development in the days to come – his life is ending midway. There can be no greater loss than this for us and for the country.

Union Home Minister said that we have to fight the battle against drugs with clarity. He said that the focal points of this fight have already been identified, and a roadmap has also been prepared at the state level to take intelligence, investigation, financial action and prosecution in one direction. Shah said that in the first ANTF conference we had created an institutional mechanism and strengthened it. In the second ANTF conference, we discussed capability, action and execution in order to convert that mechanism into action. Today, the third ANTF conference will convert this roadmap into a decisive battle.

Shah said that whatever we have done so far is not enough. Until the Principal of every school, the Patwari of the village, the PSI of the police station, the Director General of Police and the Chief Secretary of the state, and even the Home Secretary of the Government of India, work in one direction, we will not achieve success. He said that today’s conference is the most important because this time we will move forward towards complete victory by fixing Target, Timeline and Accountability.

Union Home Minister said that we now have to move from Meeting to Mission, from Reporting to Result, from Seizure to the dismantling of Networks, and from Case to Conviction. He said that until all departments of the state governments and the Government of India engage in this work, we cannot move forward.

Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set the target of building a Viksit Bharat by August 15, 2047 before the 140 crore citizens of the country, when India will be at the forefront globally in every sector. He said that if we are to achieve this goal, we cannot do so with a youth power and future generation hollowed out by addiction. He stated that India is the youngest country in the world, which is why the threat is also the largest for us in the global context. This is our necessity because the health, skills, labour, and thinking capacity of the youth alone can lead the country to that goal, and drugs damage all four of these capacities.

Union Home Minister said that for emerging challenges such as synthetic drugs, diversion of precursor chemicals, new communication technologies, dark-net, drug markets, crypto, dead-drop delivery systems, and international drug networks, a team of officers who think ‘out-of-the-box’ should be constituted in every state, and success should be shared and implemented across the entire nation.

Shah stated that the Vision Document 2026–2029 rests on four pillars: Enforcement, intelligence & operations, Control of precursor & synthetic drugs, Demand & harm reduction, and Capacity building & coordination. Over 100 targets have been categorized across these four pillars. Under the target of registering 1 lakh Nashamukt Mitras outlined in the Vision Document, various ministries have registered 46,780 Nashamukt Mitras so far, and they are already operational. To take this campaign to the grassroots level, Nashamukt Mitras will visit 10 lakh schools, colleges, and institutions across the country in the coming days to caution the youth and sensitize campus directors.

Shah said that today we are discussing converting the roadmap into results, and the most crucial element of the brainstorming taking place over these two days is compassion. Our goal should be to transform the ANTF into an ‘Anti-Narco Mission Command’, and State Chief Secretaries will need to adopt a different approach regarding manpower, technology, budget, and other resources. The Home Minister added that the Government of India is emphasizing technology and forensics in capacity building.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation stated that instead of maintaining a seizure-centric approach, we must move forward with the objective of dismantling entire networks. Our priority, along with backward-forward investigation, must also include financial investigation and tracing digital links. Our strike must hit the funds earned by drug dealers. Shah said that cartels must be targeted at three levels: the entry point, the inter-state distribution system, and the local sales networks within districts. Further, districts will be categorized into three clusters: those where drugs are manufactured or enter the country, those serving as transportation corridors, and those where consumption takes place.

Union Home Minister stated that we must increase the utilization of PITNDPS, as there is a strong need for it in the country. A complete roadmap from investigation to conviction must be formulated in coordination with public prosecutors. A dedicated campaign must be launched to deport foreign accused present in India and blacklist them so they can never re-enter the country. Moreover, the fugitives who are supplying drugs to the country from abroad should be caught and brought before the Indian courts. By targeting borders and production centres, all loopholes must be plugged. Every ANTF should integrate the entire process of converting information to actionable intelligence into the work culture of their respective state police force. The Home Minister expressed confidence that we will succeed in this fight against drugs and emerge victorious.

Participation in this national conference will assist states, departments, and agencies under the ‘Whole of Government Approach’ to move forward with renewed resolve to effectively combat drug trafficking across the country over the next three years.

The deliberations held during the conference will help strengthen the effective enforcement of drug control laws and make the strategies adopted to protect the country’s youth from drugs more impactful. This national event will provide an effective platform to bolster a future-ready partnership between the NCB and ANTFs of States and Union Territories to tackle drug abuse and fulfil the pledge of a Nasha Mukt Bharat.

New Delhi, Sep 22: Pakistan must take “credible action” against cross-border terrorism before the world believes Islamabad would do what it says, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.

During his bi-weekly briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked how New Delhi viewed the comments by Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who on Tuesday said the armed forces were determined to defeat terrorism amid the rising threat of militancy in the country.

“Pakistan needs to demonstrate action and firm commitment. And it must take credible action against cross-border terrorism before the world believes it would do what it says,” he said.