Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) approved the “Whole-of-Government Approach” policy to eradicate narcotic drugs from the State by 2029 as a part of ‘Drug-Free India Campaign’. The meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis intended to focus on public awareness and strict action against narcotic drugs. Under the policy, the responsibilities will be assigned from the village level to the district, divisional and Mantralaya levels for implementation of initiatives. Under the plan, at least one lesson on drug awareness will be introduced in the school curriculum from Class V onwards, starting the next academic year (2027). Schools will also receive additional marks for undertaking drug-awareness initiatives under the Chief Minister’s My School, Beautiful School – Phase 3 programme.According to CMO, a large-scale public awareness campaign will also be conducted. For the implementation of the campaign, all government departments will have to coordinate with the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF). At the Mantralaya level, each department will appoint an officer of the rank of Deputy Secretary as a nodal officer to coordinate the campaign.The Higher and Technical Education Department will announce award every year on June 26 for the best-performing district in achieving a drug-free status. The performance will be evaluated for the period between October 2 and April 30 for the award.The policy identifies four pillars for tackling narcotic drugs: effective enforcement of drug-control measures, a sharp reduction in the supply of narcotic drugs, an effective reduction in demand for narcotic drugs, and de-addiction, treatment and rehabilitation. The Revenue, Agriculture and Forest Departments will be responsible for curbing the supply of narcotic drugs.For illegally manufactured synthetic narcotic substances, the Food and Drug Administration and Industries Departments will be required to take action.The policy enables action against the cultivation and farming of crops used for the illegal production of narcotic drugs, as well as the production, transportation, sale and consumption of natural and synthetic narcotic substances. Published - September 02, 2026 02:00 am IST