PUNJAB DRUG ACCOUNTABILITY MISSION 2027
THE 10-POINT PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTER
From Promises to Proof – Building an Accountable, Drug-Free Punjab
A COMMON COMMITMENT FOR EVERY POLITICAL PARTY IN PUNJAB | A NON-PARTISAN PUBLIC INTEREST INITIATIVE
OUR PURPOSE
Drug abuse is not merely a law-and-order issue. It is a public health, social, economic and governance challenge affecting individuals, families and communities across Punjab.
For years, governments and political parties have announced campaigns, enforcement drives, treatment programmes and rehabilitation initiatives. The people of Punjab now deserve transparent information about what has been spent, what has been delivered, what has failed and what corrective action is being taken.
The Punjab Drug Accountability Mission 2027 places public accountability at the centre of the state's response to drug abuse.
Our objective is simple: Move the public debate from political promises to verifiable performance.
THE 10-POINT PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTER
1. Publish Annual Drug-Treatment Expenditure and Procurement Data
Every government should publish clear, consolidated and accessible information about public expenditure on drug prevention, treatment, de-addiction, rehabilitation and related programmes.
- Annual budget allocations and actual expenditure.
- Department-wise and scheme-wise spending.
- Procurement details, contract values and supplier information, subject to applicable law.
- District-wise expenditure and utilisation reports.
- Explanation of significant unspent funds, delays and cost variations.
2. Disclose District-Wise OOAT and De-Addiction Service Statistics
Citizens should be able to assess whether treatment services are accessible, adequately staffed and functioning across Punjab.
- District-wise number of operational government de-addiction centres and OOAT facilities.
- Aggregate numbers of patients registered, receiving treatment and attending follow-up services.
- Availability of qualified medical professionals and essential facilities.
- Waiting times, referral arrangements and service interruptions.
- Aggregate treatment-continuation and follow-up indicators.
All published information must protect patient confidentiality and must not identify individual patients.
3. Establish an Auditable BXN Procurement and Dispensing Framework
Buprenorphine-Naloxone (BXN) is used in opioid-dependence treatment when clinically indicated and prescribed under appropriate medical supervision.
- Procurement quantities, expenditure and authorised supply channels.
- District-wise and facility-wise aggregate allocation.
- Stock received, issued, balance and recorded dispensing.
- Documented reconciliation of stock and consumption.
- Reporting and investigation of material discrepancies.
- Compliance with applicable clinical, prescription and record-keeping requirements.
Patient-level records must remain confidential. Public reporting should use aggregate and appropriately protected information.
4. Commission Periodic Independent Audits of Treatment Services and Stock Records
Government departments should not be the sole assessors of their own performance. Independent verification is essential to establish public confidence.
- Periodic independent audits of selected treatment facilities and programme expenditure.
- Verification of procurement, stock registers, allocation and dispensing records.
- Assessment of treatment-service quality and availability.
- Publication of audit findings, recommendations and corrective-action status.
- A time-bound mechanism for addressing material audit objections.
Audits must protect confidential patient information and follow applicable law.
5. Publish Treatment-Retention and Follow-Up Indicators
Registration at a treatment centre is not, by itself, proof of recovery or successful treatment. Public reporting must assess continuity of care and access to follow-up support.
- Clearly defined and consistently reported treatment-retention indicators.
- Aggregate follow-up and referral statistics.
- Availability of counselling, medical review and psychosocial support.
- Documented referral pathways for rehabilitation and reintegration.
- Privacy-protecting reporting of service gaps and treatment interruptions.
Indicators must be clearly defined so that different districts and reporting periods can be meaningfully compared.
6. Improve Timely Access to Qualified Treatment and Rehabilitation
Every person seeking help should be able to access appropriate, dignified and medically supervised treatment without discrimination or unnecessary barriers.
- Adequate availability of qualified medical and mental-health professionals.
- Clear referral pathways from communities and hospitals to treatment facilities.
- Timely access to clinically appropriate treatment.
- Availability of counselling, rehabilitation and family-support services.
- Employment, skill-development and social-reintegration initiatives.
- Periodic assessment of district-wise service gaps.
7. Create a Safe and Documented Mechanism for Reporting Suspected Illegal Drug Sales
Citizens must have accessible and responsible channels to report suspected drug trafficking and illegal sales without being exposed to intimidation or retaliation.
- Clearly publicised reporting channels.
- Acknowledgement and tracking of complaints through reference numbers.
- Defined timelines for preliminary review and appropriate action.
- Documented referral to competent authorities.
- Aggregate reporting on complaints received, action taken and pending cases.
Complaints must be assessed fairly. An allegation must not be treated as proof of wrongdoing, and lawful investigation and due process must be respected.
8. Publish Timelines and Status Tracking for Drug-Related Complaints
A complaint should not disappear into an administrative system without acknowledgement, review or an explanation of its status.
- A centralised or coordinated complaint-tracking mechanism.
- Unique reference numbers and acknowledgement of complaints.
- Published service standards for review and response.
- Status categories such as received, under examination, referred, action taken and closed.
- Recorded reasons for delay or closure, subject to lawful confidentiality restrictions.
- A defined escalation mechanism for unresolved complaints.
9. Protect the Privacy and Safety of Patients, Families, Complainants and Whistle-blowers
An accountable drug-control system must protect the dignity and safety of the people it is intended to serve.
- Confidential handling of patient and treatment records.
- Protection against unnecessary disclosure of personal information.
- Safe channels for complaints and reporting suspected wrongdoing.
- Appropriate safeguards against intimidation and retaliation.
- Respectful, non-discriminatory treatment of people affected by substance dependence.
- Fair procedures for examining complaints and allegations.
No patient, family member or complainant should be publicly exposed or stigmatised merely for seeking help or reporting a concern.
10. Issue an Annual Public Drug Accountability Report to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha
Drug policy must be assessed through measurable results, not announcements alone. The government should publish an annual, consolidated Drug Accountability Report and place it before the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
- Annual budget allocation and actual expenditure.
- Procurement and utilisation information.
- District-wise treatment and OOAT service statistics.
- Aggregate BXN procurement, allocation and stock-reconciliation information.
- Independent audit findings and corrective-action status.
- Treatment-retention and follow-up indicators.
- Rehabilitation and reintegration outcomes.
- Drug-related complaint statistics and action taken.
- Progress against published targets.
- Identified shortcomings and a time-bound corrective-action plan.
EQUAL QUESTIONS. EQUAL DEADLINE. PUBLIC RECORD.
The Punjab Drug Accountability Mission 2027 will invite all major political parties and other participating political organisations in Punjab to respond to this Charter on equal terms.
The same ten commitments and questions will be sent to:
- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
- Indian National Congress
- Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)
- Other political parties and recognised political organisations participating in Punjab's public and electoral process.
Every political party will be asked:
- Will your party formally adopt all ten commitments of this Public Accountability Charter?
- Which commitments will be incorporated into your election manifesto, public policy or formal party programme?
- What measurable targets will your party establish for implementation?
- What timelines and reporting frequency will your party commit to?
- Will your party support district-wise public reporting of treatment services, OOAT facilities, BXN procurement and stock accountability, and drug-related expenditure, with appropriate privacy safeguards?
- Will your party support periodic independent audits of treatment services, public expenditure and stock records?
- Will your party support an annual Drug Accountability Report being placed before the Punjab Vidhan Sabha?
- What institutional mechanism will your party establish to monitor implementation and address shortcomings?
OUR COMMITMENT TO FAIRNESS
- Identical questions will be sent to every participating party.
- The same response deadline will apply to all.
- Written responses will be recorded accurately.
- Any qualifications, conditions or reservations expressed by a party will be reproduced fairly.
- Non-responses will be recorded only as: “No response received by the stated deadline.”
- No party will be described as having accepted or rejected a commitment without supporting written evidence.
- Responses and non-responses will be presented in a common public comparison format.
This is not an exercise in political favour or opposition. It is an exercise in democratic accountability.
THE PUBLIC PLEDGE
We believe that every citizen of Punjab has the right to demand transparent governance, accessible treatment, accountable public expenditure and effective action against drug trafficking.
We call upon political parties, public representatives, government departments, healthcare institutions, civil society organisations, families and citizens to support a common standard of accountability.
We pledge to pursue this mission through lawful, peaceful, evidence-based and democratic means.
Our commitment is to public interest, not political allegiance.
FIVE PILLARS OF THE MISSION
- PREVENTION – Protect children, young people and vulnerable communities.
- TREATMENT – Ensure accessible, qualified and dignified healthcare.
- REHABILITATION – Support recovery, employment and social reintegration.
- LAWFUL ENFORCEMENT – Strengthen action against trafficking networks while respecting due process.
- PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY – Make public expenditure, service delivery and government performance verifiable.
OUR MESSAGE TO PUNJAB
EVERY PATIENT DESERVES MEDICINE.
EVERY CITIZEN DESERVES PROTECTION.
EVERY TAXPAYER DESERVES ACCOUNTABILITY.
EVERY PUBLIC INSTITUTION MUST BE ANSWERABLE.
Drug abuse cannot be addressed through slogans alone. It requires sustained prevention, accessible treatment, effective rehabilitation, lawful enforcement and transparent public administration.
The people of Punjab deserve to know what is working, what is failing and what must change.
FROM PROMISES TO PROOF. A COMMON CHARTER. EQUAL ACCOUNTABILITY. A HEALTHIER PUNJAB.
INITIATIVE
PUNJAB DRUG ACCOUNTABILITY MISSION 2027
Gurmeet Kaur Kwatra
Advocate, Supreme Court of India, New Delhi
Sukhbir Kaur
Mental Health & Elder Abuse Activist
Working towards evidence-based public accountability, transparent governance and a stronger response to drug abuse in Punjab. A NON-PARTISAN PUBLIC INTEREST INITIATIVE
ਪੰਜਾਬ ਬਚੇਗਾ, ਜਵਾਬਦੇਹੀ ਨਾਲ।
A Healthier, Safer and More Accountable Punjab