The Hindu Editorial (Battling drug abuse) – Jul 18, 2026

battle (verb) – to struggle or fight against something; combat, fight, tackle, confront.
drug abuse (noun) – the habitual taking of illegal drugs; substance abuse, narcotic addiction, drug dependency.
Operation Toofan (noun) – a special anti-narcotics drive launched by the Kerala government to curb drug abuse and dismantle synthetic drug cartels; anti-drug campaign.
cartel (noun) – an association of manufacturers or suppliers maintaining high prices and restricting competition, specifically illegal drug syndicates in this context; syndicate, gang, ring, network.
for a few years now (phrase) – continuing from a few years ago up to the present time; over recent years, lately, recently, for some time.
growing (adjective) – increasing, expanding, rising, mounting.
section (noun) – a distinct group within a larger body of people; segment, part, faction.
consume (verb) – to completely absorb or preoccupy someone’s attention or energy, often in a destructive way; engulf, absorb, overwhelm, devour.
festering (adjective) – becoming worse or more intense due to neglect; worsening, deteriorating, brewing, intensifying.
addiction (noun) – the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance or activity; dependency, dependence, craving, habit.
narcotic (adjective) – relating to illegal drugs that affect mood or behavior; illicit, mind-altering, psychotropic, intoxicating.
contraband (noun) – goods that have been imported, exported, or possessed illegally; smuggled goods, illicit goods, illegal items, black-market goods.
psychotropic (adjective) – relating to drugs that affect a person’s mental state; psychoactive, mind-altering, mind-changing, psychiatric.
substance (noun) – an intoxicating, stimulating, or narcotic chemical or drug; drug, chemical, intoxicant, compound.
teeter (verb) – to be unable to decide between different courses, or to balance unsteadily on the brink of a dangerous situation; hover, balance on the edge, wobble, sway.
substance abuse (noun) – overindulgence in or dependence on an addictive substance, especially alcohol or drugs; drug abuse, narcotic addiction, chemical dependency, substance addiction.
apparent (adjective) – clearly visible or understood; obvious, evident, plain, clear.
in the wake of (phrase) – following as a result or consequence of; following, subsequent to, after, as a result of.
liquor ban (noun) – an official legal prohibition on the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages; prohibition, alcohol ban, dry law, restriction.
decade (noun) – a period of ten years; ten years, decennary, ten-year period, decennium.
gargantuan (adjective) – enormous in size, volume, or degree; massive, huge, colossal, gigantic.
proportion (noun) – the dimensions, size, or magnitude of something; dimension, scale, extent, magnitude.
synthetic drug (noun) – chemical substances produced in a laboratory intended to mimic the effects of illegal drugs; designer drug, artificial drug, lab-made drug, chemical narcotic.
outpace (verb) – to go, rise, or improve faster than something else; surpass, exceed, outstrip, overtake.
law enforcement (noun) – the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law; policing, police force, authorities, law machinery.
COVID-19-stricken (adjective) – severely affected or suffering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; pandemic-hit, virus-affected, pandemic-ravaged, afflicted.
drop (noun) – a fall in amount, quality, or rate; decline, decrease, reduction, fall.
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) (noun) – a parliament act in India that prohibits a person from producing, manufacturing, cultivating, possessing, selling, purchasing, transporting, or consuming any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance; anti-drug law.
surge (verb) – to increase suddenly and powerfully; rise, escalate, skyrocket, multiply.
alongside (preposition) – together with or at the same time as; along with, together with, coupled with, accompanying.
seizure (noun) – the action of capturing someone or something using force or legal authority; confiscation, impounding, capturing, taking.
commercial capital (noun) – a city that is the main center of business, trade, and finance in a region; financial hub, business center, economic capital, trade hub.
account for (phrasal verb) – to make up or constitute a specific amount or proportion; constitute, comprise, make up, form.
substantial (adjective) – significant, considerable, large, notable.
despite (preposition) – in spite of, regardless of, notwithstanding, defying.
agency (noun) – an organization or department responsible for a specific function; department, organization, body, bureau.
limited (adjective) – restricted, minimal, scarce, finite.
seek (verb) – to attempt or desire to obtain or achieve something; try, attempt, strive, aim.
streamline (verb) – to make an organization or system more efficient and effective by employing faster or simpler working methods; make efficient, rationalize, simplify, optimize.
enforcement (noun) – the act of compelling observance of or compliance with a law, rule, or obligation; imposition, application, carrying out, execution.
drive (noun) – an organized effort by a number of people to achieve a particular purpose; campaign, movement, push, initiative.
launch (verb) – initiate, start, begin, introduce.
join hands with (phrase) – to partner or cooperate with someone for a common purpose; collaborate with, partner with, team up with, unite with.
central agency (noun) – a governmental organization operating at the national level to handle specific administrative or security functions; federal body, union authority, central department.
excise department (noun) – a government department responsible for administering and collecting taxes on certain goods and controlling the trade of alcohol and narcotics.
focus on (phrasal verb) – to pay particular attention to something; concentrate on, zero in on, highlight, emphasize.
integrated (adjective) – unified, combined, consolidated, coordinated.
public engagement (noun) – the involvement of the general public in policy, community actions, or governmental initiatives; community involvement, public participation, civic engagement, social outreach.
rehabilitation (noun) – the action of restoring someone to health or normal life through training and therapy after addiction; recovery, therapy, restoration, healing.
victim (noun) – a person who has come to feel helpless and passive in the face of misfortune or ill-treatment, such as drug abuse; sufferer, prey, casualty, affected person.
speedy (adjective) – fast, swift, rapid, prompt.
effective (adjective) – successful, productive, efficacious, fruitful.
prosecution (noun) – the institution and conducting of legal proceedings against someone in respect of a criminal charge; legal action, legal proceeding, litigation, indictment.
net (verb) – to catch or apprehend a criminal or suspect; catch, apprehend, capture, nab.
peddler (noun) – a person who sells illegal drugs or stolen goods; drug dealer, trafficker, supplier, pusher.
haul (noun) – a quantity of something that has been stolen or is possessed illegally; loot, booty, catch, yield.
given that (phrase) – accepting that a particular fact is true; considering that, seeing that, bearing in mind that, assuming that.
narcotics (noun) – illegal drugs that affect mood or behavior and are sold for nonmedical purposes; illegal drugs, illicit drugs, controlled substances, opiates.
questionable (adjective) – doubtful, dubious, suspicious, suspect.
forensic (adjective) – relating to the application of scientific methods and techniques to the investigation of crime; investigative, criminological.
reliability (noun) – dependability, trustworthiness, consistency, credibility.
ongoing (adjective) – continuous, running, continuing, uninterrupted.
campaign (noun) – an organized course of action to achieve a goal; drive, movement, initiative, operation.
intricately (adverb) – in a very complicated or detailed manner; complexly, elaborately, tangledly, convolutedly.
web (verb) – to form a complicated network or entanglement; interlink, connect, interlace, entangle.
small fish (noun) – an insignificant or unimportant person, especially within a criminal organization; minor player, unimportant person, underling.
besides (preposition) – in addition to; apart from, other than, as well as, along with.
community (noun) – society, public, neighborhood, populace.
on board (phrase) – involved in a particular project or organization; involved, participating, working together, in agreement.
warrior (noun) – a brave or experienced soldier or fighter, used figuratively for someone fighting against a social evil; fighter, crusader, combatant, champion.
strengthen (verb) – to make or become stronger; reinforce, fortify, consolidate, boost.
intelligence-sharing (noun) – the exchange of confidential information and data between different law enforcement agencies to combat crime; information exchange, data sharing, joint surveillance, collaborative intelligence.
NCORD framework (noun) – Narco Coordination Centre; a mechanism constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs in India to assist in effective drug law enforcement and to coordinate among various central and state agencies; anti-drug coordination body.
National Integrated Database on Arrested Narco-offenders (NIDAAN) (noun) – a unified database developed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of India containing details of individuals arrested for drug offenses to aid law enforcement.
narco-offender (noun) – a person who has committed a crime related to the illegal trade, possession, or consumption of narcotics; drug criminal, drug trafficker, narcotics lawbreaker, drug smuggler.
solicit (verb) – to ask for or try to obtain something from someone; request, seek, ask for, appeal for.
jointness (noun) – cooperation, collaboration, unity, synergy.
operation (noun) – mission, undertaking, campaign, exercise.
nodal officer (noun) – an official designated to coordinate and oversee a specific project, scheme, or operation between different departments; coordinating official, liaison officer, key representative.
platform (noun) – an opportunity or avenue to voice ideas, or a shared framework/system for coordination; forum, medium, stage, framework.
in the pipeline (phrase) – in the process of being planned or developed; in preparation, under way, coming up, on the way.
racket (noun) – an illegal or dishonest scheme for obtaining money; fraudulent enterprise, syndicate, scam, fraud.
employ (verb) – to make use of something; use, utilize, apply, exercise.
innovative (adjective) – novel, ground-breaking.
means (noun) – method, way, process, procedure.
recruit (verb) – hire, engage.
carrier (noun) – a person who transports illegal goods or drugs from one place to another; courier, transporter, mule, smuggler.
carry out (phrasal verb) – to perform or complete a task; execute, perform, conduct, implement.
upskill (verb) – to teach someone new skills to improve their performance in a specific task; train, educate, improve, upgrade.
District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) (noun) – a specialized police force at the district level in Kerala established to monitor, intercept, and act against drug trafficking and substance abuse; specialized police unit, anti-drug squad, task force, enforcement unit.
personnel (noun) – staff, employees, workforce, human resources.
at the cutting edge (phrase) – at the most advanced stage of development in a particular field; vanguard, forefront, pioneering stage, advanced level.
bust (verb) – to conduct a police raid or to arrest someone for a crime; raid, arrest, apprehend, crack down on.
cyber forensic (noun) – the application of investigation and analysis techniques to gather and preserve evidence from a particular computing device in a way that is suitable for presentation in a court of law; digital forensics, cyber investigation, digital evidence analysis.
found wanting (phrase) – to be discovered as lacking in quality, skill, or essential requirements; deficient, lacking, inadequate, short of expectations.
logical conclusion (noun) – a sensible or natural end or resolution to a situation or investigation; natural outcome, sensible end, rational resolution, expected result.
crippling (adjective) – devastating, debilitating, paralyzing, destructive.
manifold (adjective) – many and various; numerous, multiple, diverse, multifarious.
never too late (phrase) – indicating that it is always possible to do something one wishes to do or to rectify a situation, regardless of how much time has passed; always possible, still time, not beyond hope, opportune.
defence (noun) – protection, security, shield, safeguard.

The Hindu Editorial (Battling drug abuse) – Jul 18, 2026

The Hindu Editorial (Battling drug abuse) – Jul 18, 2026

The Hindu Editorial (Battling drug abuse) – Jul 18, 2026:

1. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are our personal work. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purposes only and they may vary in a different context.

2. This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.

The Hindu Editorial (​​​​​Battling drug abuse) – Jul 18, 2026

The Hindu Editorial (​​​​​Battling drug abuse) – Jul 18, 2026:​

1. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are our personal work. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purposes only and they may vary in a different context.

2. This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.

The Hindu Editorial (Battling drug abuse) – Jul 18, 2026

The Hindu Editorial (Battling drug abuse) – Jul 18, 2026: