Drug-Free Youth Key To Strong India, Says EAGLE Chief
Drug trafficking proceeds could fund terrorist organisations and anti-national activities: AP EAGLE chief IG Aake Ravikrishna
VIJAYAWADA: AP EAGLE chief IG Aake Ravikrishna has called upon students to reject drugs and become warriors in the fight against narcotics, stating that weakening youth amounted to weakening the nation. Addressing the Vande Mataram National Youth Camp in Vijayawada on Friday, he said 125 students from Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu participated in the programme.
Narrating four incidents involving a BTech graduate jailed for 10 years for ganja smuggling, a Guntur youth trapped in a drug case, a 16-year-old Vizianagaram girl addicted to ganja through social media contacts and a Punjab activist killed for opposing drug trafficking, he highlighted the devastating impact of narcotics on families.
Warning against narco-terrorism, Ravikrishna said drug trafficking proceeds could fund terrorist organisations and anti-national activities. He highlighted international trafficking routes through the Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle, synthetic drug production in Myanmar and drone-based heroin smuggling along the Punjab border. He also cautioned against digital radicalisation and criminal networks exploiting social media, encrypted communication and cryptocurrencies.
Explaining EAGLE's initiatives, Ravikrishna cited Operation Garuda, Vajraprahar, Safe Campus, EAGLE on Trains and Operation Chaitanyam. The latter promotes alternative crops, including coffee, avocado and bamboo, among tribal farmers to discourage ganja cultivation. The Narco Offenders Tracking System helps track offenders and trafficking networks.
Ravikrishna urged students to resist peer pressure, concentrate on education, sports and skill development, and help addicts access rehabilitation. He asked people to report drug-related information to EAGLE's toll-free number, 1972, or MANAS helpline, 1933. He also highlighted EAGLE's participation in the October 31 national Fight Against Drugs motorcycle rally marking National Unity Day. He administered an anti-drug pledge to students.
