Gujarat will open a toll-free helpline, 1033, on December 1 for residents to report drug sales and drug use without giving their names. Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced it at a public meeting in Ahmedabad on November 9. He also set December 31, 2028 as the date by which Gujarat should be drug-free, a year before the Centre’s national target, IANS reported via The Hans India and DeshGujarat reported.
According to both reports, a control room linked to the number will start work on December 1. The state is to act on each complaint within three hours, and the caller’s identity will be kept confidential. Akila News also reported the 1033 number, the December 1 start and the 2028 target.
Three numbers for one kind of complaint
1033 will be the third number in Gujarat for reporting drugs. The other two are already working:
- 1908 and WhatsApp 99040 01908: the Gujarat Police narcotics helpline and the WhatsApp number of its Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF). Harsh Sanghavi, who holds the state home portfolio, announced both in January, ThePrint and Devdiscourse reported. Informants’ identities are kept confidential on these as well.
- 1933: the national anti-drug helpline. At a security review in Ahmedabad on November 7, Shah asked officials to expand its use, All India Radio News and DeshGujarat reported.
Neither the November 9 reports nor any official notice seen so far says whether 1033 will replace 1908 in Gujarat or run alongside it.
1033 is also the national highways helpline
The number 1033 is already in use. It is the toll-free helpline for road users on national highways, set up by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Drivers call it to report accidents and to get ambulances, cranes or patrol vehicles, according to IHMCL, NHAI’s toll and FASTag company. It is also the customer care number printed on FASTags. Millennium Post reported the number’s launch for highway accident reports.
The November 9 reports did not explain how calls to 1033 from Gujarat will be split between the new drug control room and the highway service.
What Shah asked of parents and teachers
Shah asked teachers to look out for signs such as red eyes, drowsiness in class and poor concentration, and to tell parents, DeshGujarat reported. He told parents not to hide a child’s addiction because of social stigma. He compared treating addiction to treating malaria or tuberculosis. Rehabilitation facilities are being developed, and children in treatment will have their identities protected, according to DeshGujarat.
Until 1033 starts, the working numbers for reporting drug sales in Gujarat are 1908 and the ANTF WhatsApp number 99040 01908.
Sources: The Hans India (IANS), DeshGujarat, Akila News, All India Radio News, ThePrint, Devdiscourse, IHMCL, Millennium Post
This report was written with AI assistance from the publicly reported sources linked here; each fact was cross-checked against at least two of them.