The Punjab government's anti-drug campaign 'Yudh Nashean Virudh', led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is reaching the state's remotest hamlets through a fleet of specially-designated e-rickshaws that travel village to village spreading awareness and collecting anonymous tips on drug peddlers. The initiative, already active across 3,440 villages — roughly one-third of all villages in Punjab — marks a deliberate pivot from conventional outreach to community-level mobilisation.

How the E-Rickshaw Initiative Works

Under the pilot project, one Assembly segment has been selected in each of 23 districts across Punjab, with one e-rickshaw assigned to cover 40 villages per segment. In total, the vehicles are operational across 86 Assembly segments of the border state. Each unit is tasked not only with broadcasting anti-drug messaging but also with informing residents about rehabilitation avenues and enabling them to report drug-related concerns anonymously.

The e-rickshaws are specifically designed to penetrate communities that are difficult to reach through mainstream awareness channels — a critical gap in a state where drug abuse has historically been concentrated in rural and semi-urban pockets.

Village Defence Committees Drive Feedback Loop

Village Defence Committees (VDCs), established at the grassroots level, are central to monitoring the campaign's effectiveness. According to feedback received from several districts, VDC members have reported increased public engagement in awareness programmes, higher participation in village-level meetings, and improved communication between residents and local authorities on drug-related concerns.

This feedback is feeding into a structured review mechanism scheduled across June 2025. Assembly segment-level meetings in the first week will be attended by local MLAs, government functionaries, and VDC conveners. The second week will see block-level VDC meetings reviewing earlier complaints and evaluating new ones. By the third week, Punjab government ministers alongside civil and police administration will assess the status of registered complaints. In the final week, Chief Minister Mann himself will review overall campaign progress, address escalated complaints, and chart the road map ahead.

What the Government Said

Health Minister Balbir Singh described the initiative as a milestone for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's outreach strategy. “The e-rickshaw campaign is another feather in the Mann government’s cap. In addition to collecting tip-offs from the community in a safe and anonymous manner, the e-rickshaws are also helping in initiating dialogue at the community level about the social and financial consequences of drug addiction and how to get rid of it,” he said.

Singh added: “Local residents have shown keen interest in the outreach activities conducted through these mobile units, turning the government’s ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ initiative into a people’s movement.”

Significance for Punjab's Anti-Drug Effort

Punjab has long grappled with one of India’s most acute drug abuse crises, particularly in districts bordering Pakistan. The e-rickshaw model is notable for its dual function: it delivers outreach while simultaneously building an intelligence network through anonymous community tips. This comes amid broader state-level efforts that include de-addiction centres, police crackdowns, and school-level awareness drives. The June review cycle, culminating in a Chief Minister-level assessment, signals that the government intends to treat this as an accountability-driven programme rather than a one-time publicity exercise.

Whether the pilot’s reach can be scaled beyond the current 23 districts and 3,440 villages to cover all of Punjab’s roughly 12,000-plus villages will be the defining test of the initiative’s long-term impact.