Over 17 months after its launch, Punjab government’s ambitious anti-drug campaign “Yudh Nashian Virudh” is set to enter the final phase with a mass outreach campaign in villages across the state.
Addressing volunteers at the Punjab Police Academy in Phillaur, AAP state president and cabinet minister Aman Arora claimed that the campaign had done a remarkable job in tackling the drug menace by breaking the backbone of the drug network in the state. For this, the Aam Aadmi Party-led state government has come up a special team comprising over 500 volunteers, which would gather feedback from locals about the campaign, launched in March last year, and its results on the ground.
“Yudh Nashian Virudh has turned out to be a decisive war against drugs in Punjab, with more than 76,000 arrests made during the 560-day drive,” Arora said. Arora said those involved in drug trafficking and those patronising drug smugglers were now afraid of stringent and punitive actions as the state government had demonstrated its determination to combat drug abuse through this campaign. “However, the incumbent government has adopted a tough stance against the menace with an only aim of freeing Punjab from drug abuse and making it ‘Rangla’ Punjab once again,” he said. The minister said it was unfortunate that leaders of the political parties, which remained at the helm of affairs in Punjab, were directly involved in the drug network, while pushing the state into the grip of drugs.
Announcing the final stage, the minister said, “During the next one month, more than 500 team members would visit every village and ward to interact with residents and discuss the progress made in the fight against the drug menace. The mass outreach campaign would serve as the final nail in the coffin of drug abuse by generating awareness among people at the grassroots level and further strengthening public participation in the ongoing drive.”
