The Chief Minister's Office of Punjab on Thursday, 25 June 2026, announced that Punjab Police has completed 480 consecutive days of its statewide anti-narcotics campaign Yudh Nashian Virudh (War Against Drugs), reporting fresh seizures and arrests as the drive continues without interruption.

What the Latest Update Shows

In the most recent operational cycle, police teams arrested drug smugglers and recovered 337 grams of heroin, 378 intoxicant pills, and ₹10,120 in drug money from their possession. The cumulative arrest tally since the campaign's launch has now reached 69,655 drug smugglers over the 480-day period. Separately, 24 persons were convinced to voluntarily undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment as part of the drive's outreach component.

Context

Yudh Nashian Virudh, which translates to 'War Against Drugs', is the signature anti-narcotics initiative of the Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab. Launched shortly after Mann assumed office in March 2022, the campaign was framed as a comprehensive response to the state's long-standing drug crisis — one that pairs aggressive enforcement against smugglers with structured referrals of users to rehabilitation centres. Daily operational updates posted through the Chief Minister's Office have become a defining feature of how the government communicates progress on this front.

Policy Backdrop

Punjab has faced large-scale heroin and synthetic drug abuse for more than two decades, a problem shaped in part by the state's proximity to trafficking routes originating from the Golden Crescent region. Successive state governments have oscillated between enforcement-heavy crackdowns and rehabilitation-focused strategies, with each administration using arrest and seizure statistics as a primary measure of progress. The Mann government has maintained both tracks simultaneously — deploying police teams for daily enforcement while directing the de-addiction machinery to convert arrests into treatment referrals. The campaign's structure reflects a broader national push to treat drug dependency as both a law-enforcement and a public-health challenge.

Stakeholders and Impact

The communities most directly affected by the campaign are Punjab's border districts, where trafficking networks are most active, and the state's youth population, which has historically borne the highest burden of addiction. For families of users, the de-addiction referral component — 24 persons added in the latest cycle — represents the campaign's human-welfare dimension beyond arrest tallies. Drug smugglers and trafficking networks face sustained operational pressure, with the cumulative arrest figure of 69,655 signalling the scale of enforcement activity over the past 480 days.

What's Next

Analysts and civil-society groups tracking the campaign have pointed to the need for comprehensive data on rehabilitation outcomes — specifically, how many of those referred to treatment have completed programmes and remained drug-free. The government's next fiscal announcements will be watched for supplementary budget allocations toward expanding de-addiction centre capacity. As the campaign crosses its 480th day, the question of whether enforcement momentum can be matched by durable rehabilitation infrastructure is likely to define the next phase of Yudh Nashian Virudh.