Yudh Nasheyan Virudh: Rebuilding Punjab’s Youth with Hope and Resolve

A Campaign Rooted in Public Health and Community Safety

Punjab’s campaign “Yudh Nasheyan Virudh”, a war against drugs has emerged as an important public movement aimed at protecting young lives from substance abuse and drug trafficking. The initiative goes beyond police action; it combines enforcement, treatment, counselling, awareness, sports, education, and community participation. This makes it a people-centric campaign rather than merely an administrative drive.

Punjab has faced a serious drug challenge for years because of multiple factors, including its border location, unemployment pressures, peer influence, and the illegal supply of synthetic and opioid-based substances. The state shares a 553-km international border with Pakistan, making it vulnerable to cross-border smuggling, including the use of drones for narcotics delivery. Against this backdrop, Yudh Nasheyan Virudh is significant because it treats drug abuse not only as a crime issue but also as a social and health emergency.

Changing the Lives of Youth in a Positive Way

The most encouraging impact of the campaign is visible among young people who are being brought back from addiction, isolation, and hopelessness. Through de-addiction services, counselling centres, awareness camps, and outreach programmes, many youths are being encouraged to seek help without fear of stigma.

Punjab already has a wide treatment network, including government de-addiction centres, rehabilitation facilities, and Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment centres, commonly known as OOAT clinics . These centres provide medical support to those dependent on opioids and help them return gradually to family, work, and education. Such health-based intervention is crucial because addiction is a medical and psychological condition, not just a moral failure.

The campaign is also creating a positive atmosphere in villages, towns, schools, and colleges. Youth clubs, sports events, fitness activities, and awareness programmes are giving young people healthier alternatives. When a young person joins a sports ground, skill training centre, or educational programme instead of falling into drug networks, the change is not only individual, but it also strengthens the whole community.

Families are also benefiting as addiction often breaks family trust, creates financial distress, and leads to emotional trauma. By encouraging treatment and social acceptance, Yudh Nasheyan Virudh is helping families reconnect with affected youth. The message is clear: a person struggling with addiction should not be abandoned; they should be supported, treated, and reintegrated.

Enforcement With Rehabilitation

A strong feature of the campaign is the attempt to balance strict enforcement against traffickers with rehabilitation for victims of addiction. Drug suppliers, organised networks, and repeat offenders require firm legal action under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. At the same time, addicted youth need treatment, counselling, and livelihood support. This distinction is important. If every drug user is treated only as a criminal, many will hide their problem and avoid seeking help. But when the system separates traffickers from victims, more people come forward for recovery. Awareness drives in schools and villages are helping young people understand the dangers of heroin, synthetic drugs, pharmaceutical opioids, and other substances.

Factual evidence shows why such efforts matter. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment’s national survey on substance use, released in 2019, estimated that India had about 2.26 crore opioid users and around 8.5 lakh people who inject drugs. Punjab has often been identified among states needing focused intervention for opioid dependence. These figures underline that the fight against drugs must include prevention, treatment, and long-term social support.

Role of the Central Government in Curbing Drug Trafficking

The Central Government plays a vital role in controlling drug trafficking in Punjab, especially because the state is located on an international border. Agencies such as the Border Security Force, Narcotics Control Bureau, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, and other central enforcement bodies work with Punjab Police to detect and disrupt smuggling networks. One major concern in recent years has been the use of drones for cross-border drug trafficking. BSF has reported a sharp increase in drone-related smuggling attempts along the western border, particularly in Punjab. In response, surveillance, anti-drone systems, night patrolling, intelligence sharing, and border fencing technologies have been strengthened.

The Central Government has also institutionalised coordination through the Narco Coordination Centre, known as NCORD, which brings together central and state agencies for intelligence sharing and joint action. The Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, launched nationally in 2020, has expanded awareness, prevention, and community outreach against substance abuse. Another important step is the national anti-drug helpline MANAS, with the number 1933, created to help citizens report drug-related information and seek guidance. These measures support Punjab’s state-level campaign by attacking the supply chain while the state works on prevention and rehabilitation at the grassroots level.

A Shared Responsibility for a Drug-Free Punjab

Yudh Nasheyan Virudh represents a hopeful shift in Punjab’s fight against drugs. Its strength lies in combining policing with compassion, awareness with treatment, and government action with public participation. The campaign helps young people return to classrooms, workplaces, sports grounds, and family life. However, lasting success requires continuous cooperation among the state government, central agencies, schools, religious institutions, civil society, parents, and youth themselves. Drug trafficking networks are organised and adaptive, so the response must also be coordinated and sustained.

Punjab’s youth have immense energy, talent, and resilience. By protecting them from drugs and giving them opportunities for education, employment, sports, and dignity, Yudh Nasheyan Virudh is not only fighting addiction, it is rebuilding confidence in the future of Punjab.