Manipur crisis co-related with war on drugs campaign: CM Biren Singh
Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh flagged off a bike rally in observation of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illegal Trafficking
Speaking to the media persons outside the chief minister’s residence in Imphal, Singh said that the ‘war on drugs,’ which was launched in 2018 and continues under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat,’ is the cause of the ongoing crisis in Manipur, adding that the state will put much more effort into eradicating the drug menace from Manipur.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in the northeastern state launched the war on drugs campaign in November 2018 and has since eradicated more than 50 per cent of poppy cultivation.
Singh said that in 2021-2022, a total area of 28,598.91 acres of illegal poppy cultivation was detected in the state a and it was and was reduced to 11,288.07 acres in 2023-2024.
He added that since the war on drugs campaign was launched, a total of around 19,135 acres of illegal poppy cultivation has been destroyed, and around 297 drug smugglers have been convicted.
With efforts from the state police, Manipur Rifles, Indian Reserve Battalion, and Central Forces, the government has been able to reduce illegal poppy plantations in the remote areas of the hill districts, said Singh. While, with support from civil society organisations, Meira Paibi (a women’s social movement), and others, many drug peddlers and smugglers have been arrested, he added.
Meanwhile, the chief minister also flagged off a motorbike rally organised by Manipur Police.
“Flagged off a bike rally in observation of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illegal Trafficking from my secretariat today,” the chief minister posted on X.
“More than a hundred officers and security personnel, who are taking part in the rally, will carry the message of the importance of the War on Drugs and the fight against cross-border illegal trafficking into the state…With support from the masses, the state government will remain committed to uprooting the drug menace from the state,” his X post further read.
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