NEW DELHI: The U.S. administration is said to be strongly Critical of India on its handling of the illegal drug trafficking. Washington feels that India is not doing enough to control the spread of opium harvest beyond reasonable limits. The U.S.A depends on India for supply of opium for medicinal purposes.
In 1990-91 due to crop failure in Turkey and Tasmania India met 98% of the U.S. requirements Normally India supplies 80% and Turkey 20% of the U.S. requirements. India has licensed 1.42 lakh farmers in Madhya Pradesh Rajasthan and U.P. with an area of 14000 hectares under poppy crop. But the U.S. administration feels that much more area is under the crop. The result is that India has become a major base for drug racketeer’s who have dumped the U.S. with the deadly drug causing its spread to the U.S. youths.
For instance Senator Helms in one of the senate foreign relations committee hearings observed in April that “the Indian opium and heroin find their way into the U.S. There is no justification for allowing India 80% share in the U.S. opium market.”
Article extracted from this publication >> November 13, 1992
