Punjab Yudh Nashean Virudh trains 6,000+ school heads to fight drug abuse & boost mental health. India this week in schools.

Punjab, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has taken a braver and more progressive stance during a period when a large portion of the nation is still debating the drug problem only after it has spread to the streets. By empowering those who influence young minds on a daily basis, the state government has pushed the battle against substance misuse to a place where it may be effectively prevented at the source—in schools.

A massive, methodical capacity-building program is subtly changing how schools address mental health issues and drug-use dangers as part of the Punjab Government’s flagship Yudh Nashean Virudh initiative. Recognizing that prevention starts long before addiction takes hold, the Bhagwant Singh Mann Government has organized training and sensitization workshops for school heads throughout the state through the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Department of School Education, and Dr. B R Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Mohali.

This effort is based on a firm awareness that mental health is the cornerstone of a child’s emotional, intellectual, and social development rather than a side concern. The Punjab government has recognized schools as the most important early-warning system because data indicates that almost half of all mental health disorders manifest before the age of 14. Teenagers in the state are increasingly concerned about anxiety, academic pressure, violence, bullying, and early substance experimentation. The Mann Government has opted for early intervention rather than a late-stage response to these signs.

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School leaders are key to this change, according to the program. School heads direct teachers, set the tone for the institution, and act first when kids exhibit symptoms of distress. However, for many years, school administrators in India have had little knowledge of mental health frameworks or methods for preventing substance abuse. Punjab is making significant progress in closing this disparity. The government is transforming schools into safe spaces of support rather than passive onlookers by providing principals with useful tools to stop substance experimentation, establish referral pathways, and foster stigma-free environments.

The magnitude of the endeavor is indicative of the gravity of the intention. Principals from more than 6,000 schools will receive training in the second phase of Yudh Nashean Virudh, with a particular emphasis on around 4,000 senior secondary and high schools spread across Punjab’s 23 districts. With seminars held between January 7 and 9, 2026, the first phase alone includes 1,463 Heads of Schools throughout nine districts, with a focus on frontier districts that continue to be at the forefront of our combat on drugs. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences, Mohali, serves as the anchor for these sessions. Experts from the School Initiative for Mental Health Advocacy, a field-action project of TISS, Mumbai, taught the facilitators leading the seminars through a systematic Training of Trainers program.

Crucially, the initiative is not symbolic. It is carefully coordinated by District Nodal Officers appointed by the School Education Department under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR), and it is supported by insights from Punjab’s Data Intelligence and Technical Support Unit (DITSU), Punjab’s technical backbone leading a comprehensive response against substance abuse. The campaign is data-driven, outcome-oriented, and focused on long-term impact rather than fleeting appearances thanks to this institutional framework, which guarantees funding under NAPDDR, unambiguous responsibility, and district-level coordination.

The importance of this endeavor is demonstrated by the attendance of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains at the Mohali training facility. It denotes a governance style that views drug prevention, education, and mental health as interrelated issues that need ongoing leadership focus rather than discrete departmental solutions.

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It is often known that Punjab, like a number of other states, has struggled with drug and substance abuse. The story is changing with the Bhagwant Singh Mann administration. Punjab is exemplifying what true preventive government looks like by making investments in school leadership, de-stigmatizing mental health, and creating resilient institutions at the local level. This is not merely an anti-drug campaign. It is a long-term investment in kids, schools, and the state’s future that other states would be well to emulate.