Gearing up for final and decisive assault on the menace of drugs in the state, the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has decided to embark anti-drug awareness and action campaign – ‘Nasha Mukti Yatra,’ which will be touching every village and wards of the state in May and June 2025.

Divulging the details, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that the drive will be organised by closely involving the Village Defence Committees (VDCs) to organise district-wise meetings across the state from May 2-4.

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These meetings will serve as the official launch platform for the ‘Nasha Mukti Yatra’ campaign. Besides all members of the VDCs, this meeting shall also be attended by the Village Sarpanches, Civil and Police Administration, along with others.

The Chief Minister has asked the Deputy Commissioners, along with the SSPs, to form VDCs in those villages where these Committees do not exist and invite them to these meetings. Similarly, Ward Defence Committees (WDCs) will also be formed in each ward in municipal areas, and they will be invited to these meetings.

Each district-level meeting will be chaired by a Cabinet Minister with a motive of sensitising about the Nasha Mukti Yatra campaign, mobilisation of village-level leadership for community vigilance, strengthening coordination between VDCs, WDCs and the District Administration and reinforcing a collective stand against drugs at the village level.

After these meetings, the second phase of Nasha Mukti Yatra will be launched on the ground from May 7 onwards, and in this yatra, a meeting of all the people in each village or ward will be held. This meeting will be attended by the VDC or WDC, Sarpanch and other officers. Each village or ward in Punjab shall be covered as per the schedule prepared by the state government.

The Chief Minister envisioned that this campaign would transform the war against drugs into a mass movement. He solicited the fulsome support and cooperation of everyone in the Society to ensure that no drug is sold in their area and to take all drug victims out of drugs. CM Mann said that VDCs/WDCs and Sarpanches are expected to play a very active role in this effort.