NARCOTICS CONTROL ( NC )-I SECTION                                     

List of Subjects  

1. Framing of General Licensing Conditions and follow up action.
2. Notifying tracts for cultivation of opium poppy in pursuance of General Licensing Conditions.
3. Matters relating to poppy straw and poppy seeds.
4. Fixation of procurement price of opium payable to poppy cultivators.
5. Matters related to licit cultivation of opium poppy.
6. Appointment of SPPs in various courts to handle NDPS cases of Central Bureau of Narcotics.
7. Court cases of CBN in Supreme Court arising out of NDPS Act.
8. Matters relating to CBN e.g. representations from poppy cultivators, complaints against officials of CBN etc.
9. Furnishing of material relating to production and export of opium for Annual Report of the Ministry of Finance.
10. VIP references and Parliament Questions on the matters relating to Opium Licensing Order, appointment of SPPs etc.
11. Proposal of CBN for purchase of vehicles and purchase / hire of land / building etc.
12. Opening of new offices under CBN .
13. Audit paras relating to CBN .
14. All miscellaneous matters relating to CBN .

Important issues

OPIUM POPPY CULTIVATION  

History

Opium poppy was first grown in India during the 15th century in Cambay and Malwa.  It was an important article of trade with China and other Eastern countries and the State had monopoly over it.  However, during the later years of the Moghul Empire, the State lost its hold on the monopoly and control over the production and sale of opium was appropriated by a ring of merchants in Patna . In 1757, the monopoly of the cultivation of poppy passed into the hands of the East India Company who had by that time assumed the responsibility for the collection of revenues in Bengal and Bihar . In 1773, the then Governor General, Lord Warren Hastings brought the entire opium trade under the control of the Government.  The Government retained its monopoly since then. Under the East India Company and afterwards under the British Rule, unrestricted cultivation of the poppy and the production of opium were prohibited. 

In November, 1950 the Government of India created the Central Bureau of Narcotics ( CBN ) headed by the Narcotics Commissioner to supervise and control licit cultivation and production of opium in India . The Headquarters of the Central Bureau of Narcotics was shifted to Gwalior in 1960.

Notification of General Conditions

The Government of India notifies general conditions for grant of licence for cultivation of opium poppy every year, which is published through a Gazette Notification. These general conditions outline the parameters and conditions for issuing licences to the farmers for cultivation of opium. The general conditions for grant of licence for cultivation of opium poppy are formulated based on the estimated requirement of opium in the country and for export, actual stock of opium in the country 

Notifications for the crop years:

Licencing and cultivation

India is a signatory to the Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs of 1961. As per the obligations under this convention, India restricts production of opium to the quantity required within the country and for export for medical and scientific purposes.

Cultivation of opium poppy is regulated through the following mechanisms:

• Licences are issued only to farmers in notified tracts and not to any farmer in the country.
  

• Even within the notified tracts only farmers who are issued licences can cultivate opium and not every farmer gets a licence. The licence also specifies the area in which the farmer can cultivate. During the crop year 2007-08, each farmer was permitted to grow opium only in 10 ares (1/10 of a hectare).
  

• Each field is measured by officers of CBN to ensure that the farmer is not cultivating in excess of the licenced area.
  

• The entire opium produced by all farmers is purchased by the CBN at a price fixed by the government. Farmers are not allowed to sell it to anyone else. The price paid to the farmer depends on his yield with farmers producing more opium getting paid a higher price per kg.
  

• A minimum qualifying yield (MQY) is fixed and any farmer who does not produce opium equal to MQY will not be entitled to a licence for the next crop year.

Intensive vigilance and checks by preventive squads are among the methods to ensure that the licitly grown opium is not diverted.

Table showing area licensed / harvested, number of villages, number of cultivators settled / harvested, opium produced, average yield, payment to cultivators for the last five years:  

Note:    *  Figures are Provisional. $ Based on 90% payment to the cultivators.
             @ Actual quantity produced is 38 kg at 70 degree excluding suspect opium, Dhoi   & Khurchan.

Appointment of Special Public Prosecutors

Narcotics Control-I Section also deals with appointment of Special Public Prosecutors for conducting the cases booked under the NDPS Act by the Central Bureau of Narcotics. As and when any vacancy arises, it is advertised by the CBN , in newspapers, inviting applications from willing and eligible advocates.  The aspirants are required to apply in response to such advertisements and their candidature is considered as per the due procedure on merit.  

Proposals from the office of the Chief Controller of Factories ( CCF )

Consequent upon transfer of the Secretariat of the Committee of Management from North Block to Saraaswati House, 5^th Floor, 27, Nehru Place w.e.f. 5^th June, 2008 , the proposals are received from the CCF in a Single File System.

The Office of the Chief Controller of Factories sends proposals on the following issues:  

1. Creation of posts and framing of recruitment rules for various posts in Government Opium Alkaloid Works (GOAWs) & Chief Controller of Factories ( CCF )’s organization.
2. Appointment, confirmation & promotion to Group ‘A’in GOAWs & CCF Organization with the approval of DOP&T/UPSC.
3. Import of various Alkaloids through Technical Evaluation Committee Constitution for this purpose and fixation of selling/import price of opium and various alkaloids to meet the demand of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry for life saving drugs.
4. Processing of cases for purchases of stores and equipments required by the GOAWs for according Administrative/financial approval.
5. Writing off of bad debts/stores.
6. Court cases relating to GOAWs.
7. Writing off of opium losses in the factories.

Officers heading NC-I Section and supervising it: