9th Apex-Level Meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD)

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah chaired the 9th Apex-Level Meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, reinforcing the Centre’s resolve to tackle the drug menace through coordinated and multi-agency action.

About the NCORD Mechanism

• NCORD was established in 2016 to enhance coordination among the Central Government, State Governments and other stakeholders in addressing drug trafficking and substance abuse in a holistic manner.
• It functions as the country’s primary institutional framework for combating the drug menace through policy coordination, intelligence sharing and enforcement synergy.

Four-Tier Structure of NCORD

The NCORD mechanism operates through a structured four-tier system:

• Apex-Level NCORD Committee – headed by the Union Home Secretary
• Executive-Level NCORD Committee – headed by the Special Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs
• State-Level NCORD Committees – headed by Chief Secretaries of States
• District-Level NCORD Committees – headed by District Magistrates

Focus of the Apex-Level Meeting

• Review of inter-agency coordination in tackling drug trafficking and narcotics-related crimes
• Strengthening cooperation between the Centre, States and enforcement agencies
• Enhancing a whole-of-government approach to curb drug supply chains and reduce demand