Acting Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad will be announcing funding for the National Narcotics strategy to ensure a narcotics bureau is set up.

Prasad highlighted this while launching the National Counter Narcotics Strategy 2023 to 2028.

With the adoption of the National Counter Narcotics Strategy, the Government commits to a balanced approach to drug control, integrating efforts in the areas of drug use prevention and treatment, prevention of drug- related crime and countering illicit drug trafficking.

“You can see that this strategy is not based on addressing only some of the concerns, it involves prevention, reducing the harm, address the supply and demand so from all angles this strategy is going to address the issue head on. Obviously in the budget we are providing funding.”

The actions of commitment were developed through a series of consultations with various agencies and learning from various international models visited by the senior government officials.

The Strategy is to be implemented in conformity with the three international drug control conventions and other relevant national and international instruments, including the National Development Plan, and through close cooperation among all relevant national stakeholders.