Question : FOREIGNERS IN FLESH TRADE

(a) whether there are reports of the involvement of foreigners visiting the country on tourist visas including from countries like Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in flesh trade and narcotics in various parts of the country including NCT of Delhi;

(b) if so, the details thereof alongwith the number of such persons arrested during each of the last three years and the current year, State-wise;

(c) whether the Union Government has monitored the situation and issued any advisory to the State Governments in this regard;

(d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the details of the other measures being taken to curb such activities including reviewing the prevailing visa norms?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS(SHRI AJAY MAKEN)

(a) & (b): As per Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) report, some foreigners visiting the country on tourist Visas have been found involved in drug trafficking in various parts of the country including NCT of Delhi. The Bureau does not maintain such records nationality wise. The number of foreigners arrested is, 181 in 2007, 199 in 2008 and 173 in 2009. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) also does not maintain information regarding these crime heads on foreigners separately.However,State/UT wise details of cases registered, person arrested and convicted under crimes committed under the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act, 1956 and under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 are at Annexure-I and Annexure-II, respectively.

(c) to (e): `Police` and `Public Order` being State subjects, the primary responsibility for preventing and combating the crime of human trafficking lies with the State Governments. However, Government of India has adopted a multipronged approach to combat human trafficking viz., issuing of Advisory dated 9.9.2009 to States/UTs to deal with the crime of trafficking in a holistic manner and to evolve an effective and comprehensive strategy encompassing rescue, relief and rehabilitation of victims besides taking deterrent action against the law violators; setting up of Anti Trafficking Nodal Cell in Ministry of Home Affairs; organizing training and workshops on the issue to create awareness among law enforcement agencies. Ministry of Women & Child Development also runs shelter based homes, such as Short Stay-Homes, Swadhar Homes for women in difficult circumstances including trafficked victims.

There is no proposal regarding review of prevailing visa norms. The Government has taken a number of steps in general to check, detect and prevent illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs. These inter-alia, include intensive preventive efforts along known drug routes; strict surveillance and enforcement at import and export points; improved co-ordination between various drug law enforcement agencies in order to impart greater cohesion to interdiction; strengthening of the intelligence apparatus to improve the collection, analysis and dissemination of operational intelligence; NCB has formulated an Action Plan in coordination with Central Bureau of Narcotics & the Nodal officers of the concerned state governments for the identification and destruction of illicit opium cultivation.