SRINAGAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said Jammu and Kashmir has progressed on the path of development since the abrogation of Article 370, claiming that separatist sentiment in the region has reduced considerably.
Addressing a press conference on narcotics control in Panaji, Shah said the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir had changed significantly since 2019 and that the Centre had also succeeded in bridging the “mental distance” between J&K and the rest of the country.
“After the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the feeling of separatism has reduced considerably. The figures of terrorism are gradually shrinking and moving towards zero, and Jammu and Kashmir has progressed on the path of development,” Shah said.
His remarks came while he was outlining the government’s broader internal security record and its campaign against narcotics.
Shah said the government had also intensified its efforts against fugitives who fled the country after committing crimes. Between 2019 and July 2026, he said, 274 fugitives had been extradited from 36 countries, including those involved in economic offences, terrorism, narcotics and gang-related crimes.
He said 401 Red Corner Notices had been issued in the last three years, including 182 till July this year, while properties worth around Rs 17,874 crore belonging to fugitives had been sealed or confiscated between 2019 and 2026.
On narcotics, Shah said the government had made the fight against drugs a national security priority and set a target of achieving a “Drug-free India” by 2029.
He said a three-year roadmap from July 2026 to July 2029 had been prepared, with the campaign centred on four pillars—intelligence and operation-based enforcement, control of precursor and synthetic drugs, demand and harm reduction, and capacity building and coordination.
Shah said the government had shifted from isolated seizures to dismantling entire narcotics networks through “Bottom-to-Top” and “Top-to-Bottom” investigations, with particular emphasis on financial investigations and tracing drug networks.
According to him, more than 1.19 crore kilograms of drugs worth around Rs 1.89 lakh crore were seized between 2014 and 2026, compared to 26 lakh kilograms worth around Rs 40,000 crore during 2004-14.
He said 25 crore people had been reached under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, while 5.7 lakh people had been freed from drug addiction through treatment and rehabilitation.
Shah said the government was also working to increase the number of de-addiction centres to 1,751 and would involve educational institutions, NCC, NSS and My Bharat in the campaign against drug abuse.
He said the period from 2026 to 2029 had been declared “mission mode” for the anti-narcotics campaign, with fixed timelines, measurable outcomes and quarterly reviews.
