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Drugs are sapping Punjab’s economy

Punjab loses 2.2% of its GSDP every year to the drug crisis.

Madhur M Mahajan

Updated At : 07:04 AM Oct 31, 2025 IST

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THE identity of Punjab as India's breadbasket has been eclipsed by a darker reality — the drug menace that has engulfed the entire state, disrupting families, communities and governance. Beyond its social toll, addiction drains household savings and public funds. The direct costs include healthcare, law enforcement and rehabilitation. The indirect losses — absenteeism, low productivity and premature deaths — erode Punjab's economy and deepen poverty.

The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as trustees.

The Tribune, the largest selling English daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the newspaper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.

The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).

Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia

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Drugs are sapping Punjab’s economy

Punjab loses 2.2% of its GSDP every year to the drug crisis.

Madhur M Mahajan

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