Narcotics Control Bureau
Also called: NCB · Topic: Statutory, Regulatory and Quasi-judicial Bodies · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is India's main central agency for enforcing drug laws. It comes under the Union Home Ministry and was set up under the NDPS Act, 1985 (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act). It works on the supply side, which means stopping drugs from being made, smuggled and sold. It gathers intelligence and coordinates the many central and state agencies that fight drug trafficking. This matters because the Act also makes using drugs a crime, so the NCB is the police side of India's drug policy. Treatment and awareness are run separately.
Example
The NCB runs MANAS (1933), a helpline where people can report drug activity. In 2020, the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan began in 272 districts. These districts were chosen using NCB inputs together with the national survey done by NDDTC, AIIMS.
Don't confuse with
- Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan / NAPDDR: these belong to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. They work on the demand side: awareness, counselling, treatment and rehabilitation. The NCB enforces the law.
- De-addiction helpline 14446: this number is for getting help to quit drugs. MANAS (1933) is for reporting drug activity to the NCB.