Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) said that there is no place in the State for those who sell ‘chitta’ (heroin) and ruin the lives of the youth for money, emphasising that the government’s policy was clear and “uncompromising” toward those involved in illegal drug trade.

He was addressing the gathering at an ‘anti-chitta’ awareness walkathon held in Una district.

“There is no place in Himachal for those who sell chitta, destroy the lives of our youth for money. The government’s policy was clear and uncompromising when it comes to those involved in the illegal drug trade. Strict action would be taken against people selling chitta and those involved in drug trafficking, in accordance with the law,” he said.

At the same time, CM Sukhu stated the government would “adopt a compassionate approach towards young people who had already fallen into addiction and extend every possible support to help them recover and return to a normal life”.

The Chief Minister said that the police was taking continuous action to dismantle the drug networks and drug traffickers. However, he pointed out that the battle against drugs cannot be won by relying on the police alone. “Police can arrest a trafficker and the government can make laws, but it is the family, friends, teachers and society that can stop a child from taking drugs for the first time,” he added.

Calling upon young people to become soldiers of the anti-drug campaign, CM Sukhu urged them to not remain silent if they come across the sale of drugs. “The collective participation of all sections of society is needed to eradicate the drug menace,” he said.

Separately in Chandigarh, an event ‘Vartalap’ was conduced by Press Information Bureau in collaboration with Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to create awareness about vision document 2026-29, surrounding the resolve of central government to make a ‘Drug-free India’ by 2029.

During the event Amanjit Singh, zonal director, NCB Chandigarh, Raj Kumar, additional director general (Media) of Ministry of Home Affairs and Sapna, deputy director, PIB, Chandigarh, participated to deliberate about creating awareness about the campaign.

An official statement said that the vision document’s roadmap envisages a network-centric enforcement approach and outlines measures to address challenges related to synthetic drugs and darknet-enabled trafficking, prevent drug abuse among youth, expand access to treatment and rehabilitation centres, and strengthen coordinated action over the next three years.