Chandigarh, January 9
At a time when much of the country continues to debate the drug crisis only after it reaches the streets, Punjab under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has chosen a more courageous and forward-looking path. The state government has taken the fight against substance abuse to where it can really be stopped at the roots, inside schools, by empowering those who shape young minds every single day.
As part of the Punjab Government’s flagship Yudh Nashean Virudh movement, a large-scale, systematic capacity-building programme is quietly transforming how schools respond to mental health challenges and substance-use risks. Through the Department of Health & and Family Welfare, Department of School Education, and Dr B R Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Mohali, the Bhagwant Singh Mann Government has launched structured training and sensitisation workshops for Heads of Schools across the state, recognising that prevention begins long before addiction takes hold .
This initiative rests on a clear understanding that mental health is not a peripheral issue but the foundation of a child’s emotional, academic and social development. With evidence showing that nearly half of all mental health conditions emerge before the age of 14, the Punjab Government has acknowledged schools as the most critical early-warning system. Anxiety, academic pressure, aggression, bullying and early substance experimentation have all surfaced as growing concerns among adolescents in the state. Instead of ignoring these signals, the Mann Government has chosen early intervention over late-stage reaction.
The programme places school principals at the centre of this transformation. Heads of Schools shape institutional culture, guide teachers and respond first when students show signs of distress. Yet for decades, school leadership across India has operated with limited exposure to mental health frameworks or substance-use prevention strategies. Punjab is correcting this gap decisively. By equipping principals with practical tools to prevent substance experimentation, build referral pathways and create stigma-free environments, the government is turning schools into safe spaces of support rather than silent observers.
The scale of the effort reflects the seriousness of intent. In the second phase of Yudh Nashean Virudh, principals from over 6,000 schools will be trained, with special focus on nearly 4,000 senior secondary and high schools across all 23 districts of Punjab. The first phase alone covers 1,463 Heads of Schools in nine districts, with workshops conducted between January 7 and 9, 2026, with a special emphasis on frontier districts that remain the frontline for our war against drugs. These sessions are anchored by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences, Mohali. The facilitators conducting the workshops were trained through a structured Training of Trainers programme by experts from the School Initiative for Mental Health Advocacy, a field-action project of TISS, Mumbai.
Importantly, the initiative is not symbolic. It is backed by insights from Punjab’s Data Intelligence and Technical Support Unit (DITSU), Punjab’s technical backbone leading a comprehensive response against substance abuse, and is meticulously coordinated through District Nodal Officers appointed by the School Education Department under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR). This institutional framework ensures assured funding under NAPDDR, clear accountability, and district-level coordination, making the campaign data-driven, outcome-oriented, and focused on sustained impact rather than short-lived optics.
The presence of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia at the Mohali training centre underscores the priority attached to this effort. It signals a governance model that treats mental health, education and drug prevention as interconnected challenges requiring sustained leadership attention, not isolated departmental responses.
Punjab, like several other states, has faced challenges related to drugs and substance abuse, an issue that is widely acknowledged. Under the Bhagwant Singh Mann Government, the narrative is shifting. By investing in school leadership, destigmatising mental health, and building resilient institutions at the grassroots, Punjab is demonstrating what genuine preventive governance looks like. This is not just a campaign against drugs. It is a long-term investment in children, schools and the future of the state, setting a benchmark other states would do well to follow.
