Prime focus of Yudh Nasheyan Virudh is to break economic chain: Governor

Addressing the Vidhan Sabha on the opening day of the Budget session, Kataria said that state government has intensified its fight against drug trafficking and organized crime through strategic initiatives like extremely resolute and focussed launch of Yudh Nasheyan Virudh on February 25.

Punjab drugs Governor Gulab Chand Kataria

Governor Gulab Chand Kataria addressing the Vidhan Sabha on the opening day of the Budget session (X/@Gulab_kataria)

4 min readChandigarhMar 21, 2025 09:15 PM IST First published on: Mar 21, 2025 at 09:00 PM IST

The focus of the Punjab government’s intensive war against drug menace is to break the economic chain, Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Friday said, adding that several properties of alleged drug traffickers have been demolished to send a firm message across.

Addressing the Vidhan Sabha on the opening day of the Budget session, Kataria said that state government has intensified its fight against drug trafficking and organized crime through strategic initiatives like extremely resolute and focussed launch of Yudh Nasheyan Virudh on February 25.

He said a high powered Cabinet sub-committee, under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, has been constituted to make this campaign successful. A Special Task Force (STF), which has been restructured and strengthened as the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), was established to enforce drug laws, rehabilitate victims and prevent substance abuse, he added.

Crackdown on corruption: The Governor, who addressed the House in Hindi, said the Anti-Gangster Task Force and field units have made progress in combating organised crime, arresting 1,588 criminals, neutralising 13 gangsters, busting 571 criminal modules, and recovering 1,477 weapons and 327 vehicles used in crimes. Besides this, 386 criminal cases have been registered relating to Economic offences under Indian Penal Code and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita involving 957 government officials and private persons. The Vigilance Bureau has arrested 826 accused in corruption cases and 132 accused have been convicted, he said.

Health and Education: The government has operationalized 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics where 2.98 crore patients have availed health services and more than 90 lakh diagnostic lab tests have been conducted. “Medicines worth Rs 600 crore at the prevailing market rates and diagnostics tests worth Rs 100 crore have been provided to patients. The state government is committed to provide free medicines to all patients in government hospitals and Rs 200 crore is expected to be spent on purchasing medicines and consumables in the next fiscal,” he said, adding the Punjab Ayushman Bharat scheme has issued over 88 lakh e-cards, treating 25.31 lakh patients.

Education initiatives include the “Punjab Sikhya Kranti” for safe school campuses, ICT labs, smart classrooms, and the Business Blaster Scheme to foster entrepreneurship among students.

Agriculture and water management: The government has restored canals and watercourses, increasing water utilization by 12% in the last Kharif season, Kataria said. The state government constituted an 11-member committee to prepare an agricultural policy based on the environment, culture and crops of Punjab, which will help sustainable agriculture, protect natural resources and increase the income of farmers. Kataria also highlighted flood protection works worth Rs 99 crore, financial assistance and subsidies to support direct seeding of rice, crop diversification, and 70% reduction in farm fires in 2024.

Power and Industry: Punjab met a peak power demand of 16,058 MW in 2024, providing free electricity (300 units monthly) to 90% of households and subsidized rates for industries. Solar and hybrid power projects add 430 MW of green energy. Industrial incentives under the 2022 policy have attracted Rs 96,836 crore in investments, creating 4.20 lakh jobs, he added.

Rural and urban development: Under MGNREGS, Rs 1,333 crore has been spent on rural development, generating 299 lakh man-days. He said safe drinking water projects worth Rs 2,174 crore and ODF-Plus status for 1,747 villages reflect rural progress. Urban initiatives include surface water supply schemes, 347 E-buses, and sewerage treatment capacity expansion by 376 MLD.

Governance and Social Welfare: The “Bhagwant Mann Sarkar Tuhade Dwar” scheme offers 406 doorstep services. Social welfare includes financial aid for terrorist-affected families and housing under PMAY-G, achieving 97% of its target.

Economy and Infrastructure: Revenue growth in GST (12.51%), excise (14.37%), and total revenue (10.85%) reflects fiscal stability, he said. Infrastructure projects include new airports at Adampur and Halwara, road upgrades worth Rs. 2097 crore, and five vehicle scrapping facilities.