Day 94 – Q 4.What is the Golden Crescent? What challenges does it pose for India? Discuss.

4. What is the Golden Crescent? What challenges does it pose for India? Discuss. 

गोल्डन क्रिसेंट क्या है? यह भारत के लिए क्या चुनौतियां उत्पन्न करता है? चर्चा करें।

Introduction:

South Asia is wedged between the world’s two largest areas of illicit poppy cultivation, commonly referred to as the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle. Here, the ‘Golden Crescent’ comprises the opium producing areas of South-West Asia, including Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province and Balochistan which poses grave challenge to India’s stability.

Body

Golden Crescent poses the following challenges for India:

• On Socio-Political Fabric of society- Drug trafficking undermines the socio-economic and political stability and sustainable development.
• Loss of Human Capital- Drug trafficking affect valuable human lives, result in loss of economic advantage to country and loss productive year of many persons around the country.
• Health issues- It creates unnecessary health problems like growing prevalence of HIV/AIDS among people.
• Threat to National Security- Involvement of various terrorist group and their connection in drug trafficking leads to threat to national security and sovereignty of the states by the way of Narcoterrorism. 

In this regard, some recent steps taken by India to overcome the above include:

• Legislative measure by enacting Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic substances Act 1985 and Prevention of Illicit Trafficking of Narcotics Drug and Psychotropic Substances Act 1988
• India is signatory to all three UN Conventions namely, Single convention on Narcotics Drugs 1962, the 1971 Un convention on Psychotropic Substances and 1988 UN Convention against Illicit Trafficking of Narcotics Drugs, Psychotropic substances to curb drug menace.
• Ensuring the physical security of the borders and coasts by strengthening Patrolling  and surveillance.   

Conclusion

Drug trafficking, organised crime, Money Laundering and terrorism are interrelated activities so need Multi-pronged approach, can be handled by synchronising and coherence among domestic laws of neighbouring countries to deter drug traffickers and also for translational exchange of criminals.