Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu at a press conference in Shimla on May 11, 2026 | Photo credit: ANI
In its fight against the drug menace, the Congress government has introduced mandatory anti-Chitta (heroin) testing for recruitment across all departments, including students seeking admission to professional colleges, even as it has decided to include numerical ratings based on their performance in dealing with the drug menace in the annual confidential reports of deputy commissioners and superintendents of police.
Stating that the state government has decided to launch the second phase of ‘anti-Chitta’ awareness campaign from June 1 to August 20, 2026 in all government schools and colleges, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday (May 11, 2026) said the administrative authorities among students and police officers will visit the respective areas of at least ten educational institutions targeting the creation of drugs in their educational institutions.
“The state government will ensure strict adherence to pharmaceutical companies in terms of manufacturing and distribution of drugs and any misuse of drugs will be viewed seriously. Licenses of shops found selling drugs illegally will be cancelled,” he said in Shimla.
The Chief Minister said that the government is determined to remove ‘chitta’ from society to ensure a healthy environment. “The State Government has decided to include in the Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) of Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police a numerical rating based on their performance in tackling the drug menace and conducting the Anti-Chitta awareness campaign,” he added.
He said that the first phase of the ‘anti-chitta’ campaign was launched last November, from 2023 to date, 6811 cases have been registered under the NDPS Act, which is 33.18% more than the previous tenure of the government. “During this period, 10,357 accused persons were arrested and 45,867 kilograms of narcotic substances, including ‘chitta’, were seized,” he said, adding that it clearly shows that the Congress government did not limit its anti-drugs drive to paperwork but took strong and decisive action on the ground.
Taking a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Chief Minister said that 174 drug peddlers and mafia have been arrested so far under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act, while the previous BJP government failed to implement the Act during its five-year tenure.
“Currently, Himachal Pradesh ranks first in the country in preventive measures against drug kingpins under the PIT-NDPS Act. So far in 2026, Himachal Pradesh Police alone accounts for more than one-third (about 33%) of all preventive measures taken under the NDPS Act across the country,” Mr. Sukhu stated.
He said that to hit the financial roots of the illegal drug trade, illegal assets worth nearly ₹51 crore have been seized in the last three-and-a-half years, which is almost three times more than during the tenure of the previous government.
Published – 12 May 2026 07:46 IST
