India News | Drugs Worth Rs 1,882 Cr Seized in Assam Since May 2021: Guv

Guwahati, Feb 5 (PTI) Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Monday said the state police has seized Rs 1,882 crore worth of drugs and different forms of narcotics since Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma assumed charge in 2021.

Kataria said the state government in recent times has made achievements in the areas of anti-insurgency operations, crime reduction, child marriage and drugs seizure.

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"Assam Police continued its intense operation against narcotic drugs and recovered 167 kg of heroin, 30,963.72 kg ganja and other substances," he told the assembly on the first day of the Budget Session.

In his speech, which was considered read after it was cut short due to protests by the opposition, Kataria said the Assam Police seized drugs and narcotics worth Rs 1,882 crore from May 10, 2021 to January 2 this year.

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Talking about child marriage, he said the social menace is a severe violation of human rights that causes long-lasting physical, psychological and emotional trauma.

"In this regard, special drives have been launched under relevant laws and 5,347 cases were registered against more than 8,800 accused, out of which over 4,407 people have been arrested and sent to judicial custody," the governor said.

"For the first time, an effort has been made to tackle this menace at the grass root level," he said.

Kataria also said 1,249 militants surrendered by laying down 364 arms and 2,946 rounds of ammunition last year.

"The number of crimes came down from 1,33,239 in 2021 to 63,713 in 2023, while the conviction rate increased from 6.1 per cent in 2021 to 16.69 per cent in 2023," he informed the assembly.

Kataria said that in order to curb graft and corruption by public servants, “91 trap cases were carried out successfully” in 2023.

"During this process, 117 people have been arrested, out of which 103 are public servants, including 45 officers.

"Similarly, the Bureau of Investigation into Economic Offences has carried out its operations and registered cases related to GST fraud, bank fraud... and arrested 88 people, including 25 public servants," he said.

The governor added that a high-security jail is being constructed in Kamrup district under the initiative of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for 255 inmates at a cost of Rs 10 crore.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)