Narco-Coordination Centre
Also called: NCORD · Topic: State, Government and Governance: Organs, Levels and the Citizen · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) is a system of meetings run by the Union Home Ministry, with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) as its secretariat (the office that runs it). It brings together the many bodies that deal with drugs so they work as one. Some of these bodies stop drugs from coming in, which is called the supply side. Others help people stop using drugs, which is called the demand side. NCORD meets at the Union, State and district levels. It is not set up by any Article of the Constitution. It matters because police and public order are State List subjects, while drug schemes are run by Union ministries. Without a common forum, these bodies would work separately.
Example
At the 9th Apex Level Meeting of NCORD, the Home Minister suggested three tiers of monitoring for the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, run by committees at the State/UT, District and Block levels. That campaign belongs to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The structure was set out in 2026. It shows the Home Ministry, which deals with enforcement, and the Social Justice Ministry, which deals with welfare, working together.
Don't confuse with
- Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB): an enforcement agency that acts against drug supply and takes reports on its MANAS helpline (1933). NCORD is a coordination forum. It does not carry out raids itself.
- National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR): a scheme of the Social Justice Ministry for awareness, treatment and rehabilitation. It is not a coordination mechanism of the Home Ministry.