Chandigarh, Jan 7: The Punjab government on Wednesday launched the second phase of its flagship anti-drug campaign â?~Yudh Nashian Virudhâ?T, adopting a multi-pronged approach to tackle the menace.
AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, who attended the launch event near Jalandhar, said more than 1.5 lakh volunteers, called â?~Pind De Pehredarâ?T, have joined village defence committees (VDCs), which will play a key role in the campaign alongside the police and administration.
He said 10 to 20 people from each village have been brought together to form the committees. The volunteers have been trained and will provide information about drug peddlers in their villages, he added.
An app will be installed on volunteersâ?T phones to enable them to report details about drug sellers, sources and locations, while maintaining anonymity, Kejriwal said.
He said the Chief Ministerâ?Ts Office would monitor action taken on information shared by the public, adding that strict action would be taken against officials or police personnel found involved in the drug trade.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia and several state ministers were present at the event.
Between January 10 and 30, padyatras will be organised across the state to involve people in the campaign, Kejriwal said, adding that a gathering of 1.5 lakh â?~Pind De Pehredarâ?T will be held on February 13.
A missed-call number, 9899-100002, has also been launched to allow citizens to register their villages for participation in the movement, after which the chief ministerâ?Ts team will reach out to them.
Stressing the need for rehabilitation, Kejriwal said people addicted to drugs must be helped to recover.
Referring to the first phase of the campaign, launched on March 1 last year, he said it had led to large-scale action against traffickers, high conviction rates and increased public participation. The campaignâ?Ts second phase would consolidate these gains to decisively dismantle drug networks across Punjab.
It is not that drugs are sold only in Punjab. There are many states, including Haryana, Gujarat, Delhi and several others, where drugs are sold openly and in large quantities, but the governments there simply do not care, the AAP supremo claimed.
He added that during the rule of the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab, drugs reached every nook and corner of the state.
“After this, Capt Amarinder Singh’s government came to power, but he also failed to do anything,” he alleged.
The AAP after forming government in the state declared an all-out war against drugs, Kejriwal said.
Punjab Chief Minister Mann launched Phase II of the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign, reaffirming the government’s commitment to making the state drug-free.
He rejected warnings about the dangers of confronting traffickers, saying the promise to secure a safe future for children guided their actions.
Phase I saw 28,000 cases registered, 42,000 arrests, 88% conviction rate, demolition of traffickers’ properties, and major operators jailed.
Mann highlighted that most drugs enter from Pakistan via drones, noting Punjab purchased anti-drone systems independently. Stressing that government action alone is insufficient, he called for a mass movement involving citizens.
He assured the public that Phase II would be more successful than the first, aiming to completely eradicate the drug menace and script a new success story for Punjab. (PTI)
