CHANDIGARH, September 15 — More than 800,000 students across Punjab are now enrolled in a state-run anti-drug education program, part of an effort to tackle substance abuse in classrooms alongside policing on the streets.
Since August 1, the curriculum has been introduced in 3,658 government schools for grades 9 to 12. To implement the program, over 6,500 teachers have been trained to hold 35-minute sessions every fortnight for 27 weeks, combining films, quizzes, worksheets, and group activities aimed at helping students resist peer pressure and make independent decisions.
“This is not just about telling children that drugs are harmful. It’s about giving them the skills to say no when it matters,” said Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak.
The initiative is a central feature of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s campaign “Yudh Nashiyan De Virudh” (War Against Drugs). Designed with the guidance of Nobel laureate economist Abhijit Banerjee’s team and local education experts, the course encourages critical thinking and life skills development.
Officials say early results are encouraging. A pilot program in 78 schools in Amritsar and Tarn Taran reached 9,600 students and showed significant changes in perception. Before the classes, about half the students believed willpower alone was enough to quit drugs; after the course, only 20% held that view. The share of students agreeing that trying drugs even once could lead to addiction rose to 90%.
Teachers involved in the rollout said they are beginning to notice similar shifts in attitudes. “Students are talking more openly about peer pressure and the dangers of trying something ‘just once,’” said a teacher from Tarn Taran district. “The interactive activities make them think for themselves.”
The program is part of a dual strategy that combines prevention with enforcement. Since March, Punjab Police have arrested more than 28,000 alleged drug traffickers under the same campaign.
“This curriculum could serve as a model for other states,” Mann said in a statement. “We want Punjab’s classrooms to become the frontline in this battle, giving our children a future free from drugs.”
Parents say the lessons provide reassurance. “As a father, I feel my child is hearing the right message at the right time,” said Balwinder Singh of Amritsar. “It gives us hope that the next generation won’t suffer like so many before them.”
