In news– The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has organized a “Darkathon-2022” recently.
About Darkathon, 2022-
- It seeks to find solutions to counter drug trafficking through darknet across the globe.
- The initiative aims at involving students, youth and technical experts to find effective solutions to unravel the anonymity of darknet markets.
- This hackathon is being organized in three phases starting 15th february and concludes on 22nd April.
- The winner of Darkathon will be awarded with cash worth 2.5 Lakh rupees, First Runner-up will receive 2 lakh rupees while third runner-up will be given 1.5 lakh rupees.
Darknet and its misuse for Drugs supply-
- Darknet refers to the hidden internet platforms that can only be accessed using specialized software and pre-configured communication protocols for anonymous communication.
- Drugs cartels and syndicates are known to use this to stay under the radar of law enforcement agencies.
- As per UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) World Drug Report 2021 which stated that 94 per cent of the sales in darknet markets are related to drugs.
About Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)-
- Founded 1986, NCB is an Indian central law enforcement and intelligence agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
- The agency is tasked with combating drug trafficking and the use of illegal substances under the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
- It is responsible for coordination with the Indian state governments and other central departments, implementation of India’s international obligations with regard to drug trafficking, and assisting international and foreign drug law enforcement agencies.
- The Director General of NCB is an officer of the Indian Police Service(IPS) or the Indian Revenue Service(IRS).
- It is also represented on the Economic Intelligence Council.
- The NCB is outside the ambit of the Right to Information Act under Section 24(1) of the RTI act 2005.
Source: AIR
