Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, July 30
In a bold step to tackle the growing concern of synthetic drug use, the Himachal Pradesh government has announced mandatory dope testing for ‘Chitta’ during police recruitment. The decision, taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, also makes it compulsory for all new government employees to submit a written undertaking declaring they are not consumers of the drug.
The state’s move signals an intensification of its war against narcotics, particularly targeting institutional integrity and the safety of public-facing roles. Sukhu, addressing the Cabinet, reiterated his government’s zero-tolerance approach to drugs and called for “coordinated actions to dismantle drug networks threatening the future of our youth.”
“Strict action will follow against any government employee found involved in drug-related activity,” he added, making it clear that enforcement would not stop at recruitment.
During the meeting, departments including Police, Social Justice and Empowerment, and Health presented detailed updates on Himachal’s drug control efforts. Officials claimed the state’s drug abuse problem remains “under control”, noting that only 9 percent of total criminal cases fall under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act — significantly below neighbouring Punjab’s 20%.
Under the current government’s tenure, 45 NDPS-related cases have been registered and properties worth ₹42.22 crore seized from alleged drug offenders — more than double the number of cases and triple the property value compared with previous administrations. Additionally, 44 preventive detention orders under the PIT-NDPS Act have been successfully executed.
The Cabinet directed the Health Department to scale up efforts in prevention and rehabilitation. Four Integrated Rehabilitation Centres are already functional in Kullu, Hamirpur, Nurpur, and Una. A further ₹14.95 crore has been allocated to expand such centres to all district headquarters.
Recognising the social roots of addiction, the Chief Minister called on Mahila Mandals, Yuvak Mandals, Panchayati Raj Institutions, civil society organisations and the Education Department to deepen public awareness and community engagement against drug abuse.
Sukhu also stressed the importance of border vigilance, saying that interstate coordination was critical to blocking the flow of narcotics into Himachal. “Every department must be part of this collective response,” he said.
