States » NorthPosted at: Sep 16 2026 3:59PM


Punjab in focus as NCB outlines 2029 anti-drug strategy; BJP to launch statewide march on Sept 18

Neeraj Bali
Chandigarh, Sep 16 (UNI) India is stepping up its campaign against narcotics with a strategy running through 2029 that seeks to dismantle trafficking networks, choke illicit financial flows and strengthen treatment and rehabilitation, Narcotics Control Bureau officials said on Wednesday, as Punjab prepares for a separate statewide anti-drug mobilisation by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
At a news conference in Chandigarh, NCB officials described narcotics as more than a law-enforcement or public-health problem, saying proceeds from drug trafficking can feed terrorism, separatism, Naxalism and organised crime.
“The fight against drugs is not merely a law-enforcement issue. Drug money is being used to finance activities such as terrorism, separatism and Naxalism, making it a serious challenge to national security,” an NCB official said.
Officials said criminal networks are increasingly exploiting cryptocurrencies, blockchain-based transactions and other technologies to move and conceal illicit funds, adding another layer of complexity to investigations into what they described as the drug-terror nexus.
The strategy also calls for a distinction between traffickers and people suffering from drug addiction, officials said. Drug users need treatment, rehabilitation and social support, while enforcement agencies should concentrate on traffickers, organised networks and their finances, they added.
"Drug addiction is also contributing to theft, gang violence, and organised crime and imposing a heavy social and economic cost on families," the officials said.
The NCB officials cited figures saying 3,987 kg of narcotic substances have been seized and referred to drugs valued at Rs 1.38 lakh crore and 4,488,576 seized narcotic items that has been destroyed.
The precise units and period covered by some of those figures are not immediately clear from the information available, and the NCB has not published a detailed statement setting out the data by Wednesday afternoon.
The Chandigarh briefing comes two days before the BJP begins four “Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatras” across Punjab, putting the state's long-running drug problem back at the centre of political debate ahead of the next Assembly election.
The four marches, beginning on September 18, will travel about 4,000 km and cover all 117 Assembly constituencies before converging in Jalandhar on September 30. BJP national president Nitin Nabin is scheduled to flag off the first march from Ekta Sthal at Madhopur in Pathankot district.
The BJP says the campaign is intended to turn the fight against drugs into a "mass movement". union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to address the concluding programme in Jalandhar, according to the party's announced schedule.
BJP national vice-president Manpreet Singh Badal said enforcement alone will not solve Punjab's drug problem and called for a coordinated system bringing together police, the NCB, Customs, the Border Security Force and other agencies, alongside rehabilitation specialists and social and religious organisations.
“You have to break the network. After all, this is a business. You have to attack the business to rid Punjab of drugs,” Badal said.
Badal stated that the focus should move beyond arresting drug users and street-level peddlers to tracing the money and dismantling the business structure supporting narcotics trafficking.
“The border is one part. But, after all, what about the drugs which reach villages from the border?” he said, pointing to networks of transporters and distributors and saying narcotics can also enter Punjab through routes elsewhere in India.
Punjab's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is running its own “Yudh Nashean Virudh” campaign. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said this week that the drive has entered its “final phase” and directed police to intensify action against sellers, suppliers and smugglers and target remaining drug hotspots.
Moreover, the state says 14,846 Village Defence Committees, with more than 74,000 members, are participating in its campaign.
The competing campaigns have put narcotics firmly back on Punjab's political agenda, with both the state government and the BJP-led Central government stressing enforcement as well as public participation while differing sharply over responsibility for the persistence of the problem.
UNI NB ATP RSA
Tags: #Punjab in focus as NCB outlines 2029 anti-drug strategy; BJP to launch statewide march on Sept 18
More News

Modi Bday eve: National and International women athletes celebrate in UP's Kashi

16 Sep 2026 | 4:37 PM

Varanasi, Sep 16 (UNI) On the eve of Prime Minister and Varanasi MP Narendra Modi's 77th birthday, a unique gathering of sporting talent was witnessed at the Parmanandpur Mini Stadium on Wednesday.

see more..

After notices, private landowners vacate settlements rented to illegal immigrants in Jammu

16 Sep 2026 | 4:27 PM

Jammu, Sep 16 (UNI) Private landowners have started vacating settlements rented out to illegal immigrants as the Jammu administration has begun major action here against settlements of Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees in various parts of the city.

see more..

Allahabad HC issues notice on jailed journalist Satyam Verma's NSA detention plea

16 Sep 2026 | 4:15 PM

Prayagraj, Sep16 (UNI) The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Centre, Uttar Pradesh government and other authorities on a habeas corpus petition filed by jailed journalist and author Satyam Verma, challenging his preventive detention under the National Security Act (NSA) in connection with the labour movement in Noida.

see more..

102 sugar mills made 100pc payment to sugarcane farmers in UP

16 Sep 2026 | 4:02 PM

Lucknow, Sep 16 (UNI) Thanks to the constant monitoring of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, 102 sugar mills made 100pc payment to sugarcane farmers in the 2025-26 crushing season. Meanwhile, 23 cooperative sugar mills made payments of Rs 2,820 crore.
The three mills of the State Sugar Corporation operating in the state have paid Rs543.51 crore for the 2025-26 crushing season. Private sugar mills have also made 100pc payment to farmers.

see more..

Punjab in focus as NCB outlines 2029 anti-drug strategy; BJP to launch statewide march on Sept 18

16 Sep 2026 | 3:59 PM

Neeraj Bali
Chandigarh, Sep 16 (UNI) India is stepping up its campaign against narcotics with a strategy running through 2029 that seeks to dismantle trafficking networks, choke illicit financial flows and strengthen treatment and rehabilitation, Narcotics Control Bureau officials said on Wednesday, as Punjab prepares for a separate statewide anti-drug mobilisation by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

see more..