Five districts down, and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is not stopping. He has announced that Mandi district will join the state's rolling anti-drug jan-abhiyan, with a Walkathon scheduled for 13 November at Paddal Ground, Mandi — the latest front in a campaign that has already marched through five of the state's major towns.

Five districts already mobilised, Mandi is next

The district-by-district sequencing has so far covered Shimla, Bilaspur, Dharamshala, Hamirpur, and Una. Each Walkathon is designed as a mass public march — a visible, community-led statement against drug abuse, particularly the synthetic substance locally known as chitta (white heroin). Sukhu's post frames the Mandi edition as 'jan-jan ki lalkar' — a challenge from every single person — signalling that the campaign draws its force from participation, not just optics.

Paddal Ground, Mandi's large open ground beside the Uhl river, is capable of hosting large public gatherings, making it a deliberate choice for an event that depends on turnout to make its point.

Community mobilisation as the state's chosen weapon

The Sukhu government's approach is notable for what it prioritises: visible grassroots momentum over headline enforcement drives. By rolling the campaign district by district, the administration builds anticipation and local ownership — residents in Mandi have watched five other districts hold their events before their own. That sequencing is itself a mobilisation tool.

Chitta has become a persistent crisis in Himachal Pradesh's younger demographic, with the state's border geography and tourism economy creating vulnerabilities that standard policing alone has struggled to address. A jan-abhiyan model, where community members march publicly and visibly, is meant to shift the social norm around drug tolerance at the neighbourhood level.

What the November 13 turnout will signal

Mandi is one of Himachal Pradesh's larger and more politically significant districts, sitting at the geographic heart of the state. The turnout on 13 November will be a meaningful indicator of whether the campaign retains energy as it moves through its sixth stop — or whether the district-by-district format risks fatigue. If Paddal Ground fills, the state will have demonstrated that the formula scales. What comes next — whether more districts are added, or the campaign pivots toward enforcement and rehabilitation phases — is the question every participant at the march will, in effect, be helping to answer.