Punjab to review anti-drug campaign through village, district-level meetings

The Punjab government will conduct a two-week review of its ‘War Against Drugs’ campaign from 16 to 31 August, with village-level meetings, district reviews and a state-level assessment aimed at tracking complaints related to drug trafficking and action taken on them.

The exercise was announced alongside Independence Day programmes across the state, where members of Village Defence Committees (VDCs) and Ward Defence Committees (WDCs) were recognised for their participation in the campaign.

At the district level, deputy commissioners honoured assembly coordinators and vice assembly coordinators, while sub-divisional magistrates recognised block coordinators. At the village level, programmes were held at schools and gram panchayats, where sarpanches and community members recognised members of Village Defence Committees.

The state government has directed deputy commissioners in all 23 districts to identify members of village and ward committees who have contributed to the campaign.

The government has also decided to include activities related to the ‘War Against Drugs’ campaign in national day celebrations and other major government functions. The decision was taken at a state-level programme chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on 2 August.

Village-level feedback to feed into administrative review

From 16 to 25 August, Village Defence Committees will hold meetings in villages to review complaints related to drug trafficking. The committees will examine action taken by the police and administration on earlier complaints, track pending cases and provide new feedback and suggestions.

The exercise is intended to bring community-level information into the regular review process involving the administration and police.

The review will subsequently move to the district level. Between 26 and 29 August, cabinet ministers will chair district-level meetings involving administrative and police officials, health department representatives, and coordinators at the district, assembly and block levels.

These meetings will assess feedback received from villages and determine further action based on the issues identified during the grassroots reviews.

State-level assessment on 31 August

The process will conclude with a state-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on 31 August. The government will assess progress across districts and prepare an action plan for the next phase of the campaign.

The latest exercise comes as Punjab continues to use a combination of enforcement, administrative reviews and community participation in its efforts against drug trafficking and substance abuse. The state government has increasingly involved village and ward-level committees as part of its broader anti-drug strategy.

The Independence Day recognition programmes are intended to acknowledge members participating in these local committees, while the subsequent review process will focus on complaints, pending cases and feedback from communities.