Ludhiana, August 2, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday said the state government’s anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ will continue until the menace is completely eliminated from Punjab, crediting public participation for the progress made so far.
Addressing Village Defence Committee (VDC) volunteers, known as ‘Pinda De Pehredaar’, in Ludhiana, the Chief Minister said the campaign had completed 500 days and claimed that 70,000 drug smugglers had been arrested during this period. He added that around 1.25 lakh volunteers from 13,000 villages were contributing to the campaign.
Mann said the government’s approach combined strict action against drug trafficking with de-addiction, rehabilitation and awareness initiatives. He said the participation of citizens had strengthened the fight against drugs and helped challenge the perception that the problem could not be tackled.
Targeting previous governments, the Chief Minister alleged that the Akali Dal and Congress were responsible for allowing the drug problem to grow in Punjab, while claiming that the AAP government had taken decisive steps to curb the menace.
He also highlighted the state government’s initiatives in education, healthcare, employment and sports. Mann said Punjab had improved its school education ranking, with 881 government school students qualifying for NEET in 2026 compared to 80 in 2021.
The Chief Minister said more than 68,000 government jobs had been provided on merit and claimed that the state had emerged as an attractive destination for industrial investment.
He further said 1,090 Aam Aadmi Clinics were operational across Punjab and that the number would soon increase. He also highlighted the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna, under which, according to him, families were being provided cashless healthcare coverage of up to ₹10 lakh.
Cabinet Ministers Aman Arora, Tarunpreet Singh Sond and Dr Balbir Singh, Chief Secretary K.A.P. Sinha and other dignitaries were present during the programme.
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