The Chief Minister's Office of Punjab announced on Monday, 20 July 2026 that Punjab Police's flagship anti-drug campaign, Yudh Nashian Virudh (Yudh Nashian Virudh — 'War Against Drugs'), has crossed the 500-day mark since its launch on 1 March 2025, registering 52,432 FIRs under the NDPS Act and apprehending more than 68,850 drug traffickers.

Context

Launched under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the campaign has pursued what the CMO describes as a 'three-pronged strategy' of strict enforcement, community participation and preventive education. In its first 500 days, properties worth ₹319 crore belonging to drug traffickers were attached or confiscated under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 — India's principal legislation governing drug offences and asset forfeiture.

The CMO's post states that Punjab Police is also working in close coordination with over 24,000 Village Defence Committees, comprising more than 1.25 lakh members, embedding community vigilance at the grassroots level.

Policy Backdrop

Punjab has long been identified as a major transit and consumption zone for opiates and synthetic drugs entering from the India-Pakistan border. Successive state administrations since the mid-2010s have periodically announced special anti-narcotics cells and awareness drives, often citing elevated drug-related case data from national crime records.

The Aam Aadmi Party government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, in power since March 2022, has positioned the anti-drug drive as a centrepiece of its law-and-order agenda. The NDPS Act empowers authorities to attach properties linked to narcotics proceeds, and the ₹319 crore in confiscated assets signals an emphasis on targeting the economic infrastructure of the drug trade rather than street-level enforcement alone.

Stakeholders and Impact

The campaign's reach extends well beyond police stations. The mobilisation of over 1.25 lakh Village Defence Committee members across 24,000-plus committees means that border villages and rural communities — historically the most exposed to narcotics trafficking routes — are now active participants in surveillance and reporting.

Law enforcement agencies, including potential coordination with central bodies such as the Narcotics Control Bureau, stand to benefit from the intelligence generated at the community level. For rural families, the preventive education component of the campaign targets demand reduction alongside the supply-side crackdown.

What's Next

The milestone of 500 days is likely to be followed by fresh quarterly crime statistics from Punjab Police that will test whether FIR registrations and arrest numbers translate into sustained reductions in drug availability and consumption. Analysts will also watch for any announced joint operations with central paramilitary forces along the Punjab-Pakistan border, which remains the primary entry point for contraband narcotics into the state.

As the campaign moves past its first 500 days, the durability of community-level structures such as the Village Defence Committees will determine whether Yudh Nashian Virudh marks a structural shift in Punjab's approach to drug control or remains a high-intensity enforcement surge.