Punjab rises united in drug war

The ‘Yudh Nashiyan Virudh’ campaign launched by the Punjab government under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has entered a decisive phase. On a war footing against drugs, cabinet ministers today led awareness programs at district and village levels, strengthening grassroots efforts through Village Defence Committees.

Ministers highlighted that the Mann government has shattered the spirit of drug smugglers as well as their ill-gotten houses—a stark contrast, they said, to previous administrations, which had allowed drug smuggling to thrive.

In Patiala, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh led the charge. Administrative Reforms Minister Aman Arora and Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian addressed gatherings in Bathinda. Information and Public Relations Minister Harjot Singh Bains was in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar; NRI Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, and Local Government Minister Ravjot Singh held events in Pathankot. Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar and Defence Services Welfare Minister Mohinder Bhagat were in Gurdaspur; Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO and Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian in Amritsar; Rural Development Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond and Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur in Malerkotla; and Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal in Fazilka.

Ministers urged citizens to make ‘Yudh Nashiyan Virudh’ a mass movement, envisioning Punjab as India’s first drug-free state. They reaffirmed the government’s zero-tolerance policy, warning that no offender—whether a politician, bureaucrat, or trafficker—would be spared.

“Punjab is a land of warriors, and its people are firmly backing this war against drugs,” they said.

On the occasion, ministers also praised Chief Minister Mann’s robust stand on the BBMB issue, hailing him as the true protector of Punjab’s water rights.