Chandigarh: The Punjab govt felicitated members of village defence committees (VDCs) and ward defence committees (WDCs) on Independence Day for their role in the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ anti-drug campaign, launching a fortnight-long review exercise that will culminate in a state-level meeting on August 31.The recognition drive follows an Aug 2 decision chaired by chief minister Bhagwant Mann to integrate anti-drug activities into celebrations and key official functions. At the district level, deputy commissioners honoured assembly and vice-assembly coordinators, sub-divisional magistrates recognised block coordinators, and village sarpanches felicitated local VDC members during school and panchayat events across all 23 districts.According to a govt spokesperson, the felicitation marks the start of an action plan prepared by the office of the state nodal officer to institutionalise public feedback into administrative and police reviews.From Aug 16 to 25, VDC meetings will take place in every village across the state. The spokesperson said, “The committees will review complaints related to drug trafficking, assess action taken by the police and administration on earlier complaints, track pending cases and provide fresh feedback to the authorities.”The review will transition to the district level between August 26 and 29, where cabinet ministers will chair meetings with administrative, police, and health department officials alongside district, assembly, and block coordinators to evaluate village-level feedback.The exercise will conclude on Aug 31 with a state-level progress meeting chaired by the CM to formulate the next phase of the anti-drug campaign.
