Last updated: 29 March 2025

Punjab shares a 553-km-long border with Pakistan
-- Drugs & weapons are smuggled using drones^[1]
-- Primary responsibility is of the Union Government to halt cross-border smuggling, as the 50 km area along border falls under BSF^[2]
-- Yet, nobody can deny that the issue is still prevalent

1> AI enabled CCTV: Installation of 3,000 cameras in Border areas at last stage^[3]
2> Village defence committees: 19,523 VDC in the state as of Jan 2025^[4]
3> Anti-drone systems being deployed by Punjab Govt to combat cross-border smuggling, budgeted 110 crore in 2025-26 Budget^[2:1]
4> Home Guards: Punjab Govt is deploying 5,000 home guards, in addition to BSF^[2:2]

Pak Smugglers forced to use other state borders; Reports suggest Rajasthan borders emerging as their plan B^[5][6][7]

¶ Infra boost

• Total 40 crores allocation
• CCTV cameras in border areas: 20 crore fund alloted for installing for increased surveillance^[8]
• Rs 10 crores for buildings and infrastructure
• Rs 10 crores for buying new vehicles

¶ Increased Vigilance

Village defence committees^[9]

• Committees have been set up in every village within 19 kilometres of the international border
• Village Level Defence Committees (VLDC) help the security forces on ground in sharing real-time info leading to disruption of drug networks

Police checkpoint every 5 kms^[9:1]

• Punjab police has set up 100 checkpoints along the 553-kilometre international border

Intelligence network strenghtened

• Mostly in border districts to curb smuggling^[10]

Rs 1 lakh reward for information related to drone delivery of drugs^[8:1]

References:

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1. https://theprint.in/india/mann-targets-centre-over-non-inclusion-of-punjab-tableau-in-r-day-parade/1940441/ ↩︎

2. https://finance.punjab.gov.in/uploads/26Mar2025/2e99440b-e9e9-444f-8730-911f6aa6ecd2_20250326133710.pdf (page 5) ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

3. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/indiapak-border-3-000-ai-enabled-cameras-to-check-smuggling-mann-101722971233603.html ↩︎

4. https://yespunjab.com/cm-mann-seeks-amit-shahs-intervention-for-setting-up-special-ndps-courts-to-check-drug-menace/ ↩︎

5. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/surge-in-drug-trafficking-stokes-fear-of-rajasthan-becoming-next-udata-punjab/articleshow/102243631.cms ↩︎

6. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/pak-suppliers-punjab-drug-mafia-use-rajasthan-border-to-push-in-narcotics-632091 ↩︎

7. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/surge-in-drug-trafficking-stokes-fear-of-rajasthan-becoming-next-udata-punjab/articleshow/102243631.cms?from=mdr ↩︎

8. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-police-arrest-drug-smugglers-8658774/ ↩︎ ↩︎

9. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-drug-crisis-awareness-crackdown-how-aap-govt-is-pushing-its-twin-track-campaign-9078268/ ↩︎ ↩︎

10. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/amritsar/village-defence-committee-at-border-district-villages-in-punjab-to-curb-smuggling/articleshow/100853070.cms ↩︎