Pb minister says AAP govt’s campaign against drugs yields ‘extraordinary results’ in just 12 days

Chandigarh: The AAP government’s “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, launched on February 25, has yielded “extraordinary results” within just 12 days.

Harpal Singh Cheema, Punjab’s Finance Minister and Chairman of the Anti-Drug Campaign Sub-Committee, shared the statistics at a press conference on Sunday, underscoring the AAP government’s commitment to eradicating drugs from Punjab. Minister Cheema said that so far 875 FIRs have been registered, 1,188 drug traffickers arrested, Rs 35 lakh in drug money seized and narcotics, including 68 kg heroin, 873 kg poppy husk, 42 kg opium, 3.5 kg charas and 6,74,370 intoxicating tablets are confiscated.

Additionally, a widespread awareness campaign is actively mobilizing citizens to contribute towards building a drug-free and prosperous Punjab, he said.

Cheema strongly criticised previous governments led by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance and the Congress for creating and fostering the drug epidemic in Punjab. He accused these parties of pushing Punjab’s youth into drugs as part of a deliberate strategy. “Before 2007, Punjab had never heard of synthetic drugs like heroin or ‘chitta.’ It was during the SAD-BJP regime that these drugs entered Punjab and destroyed our youth,” he said.