Punjab Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond today said that the Bhagwant Mann Government’s Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra Scheme has facilitated 5,10,807 pilgrims to undertake pilgrimages to various religious destinations in and outside Punjab. He said the scheme is aimed at facilitating elderly residents who wish to visit religious places by providing them travel and other essential facilities free of cost.

In a press conference,Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said, “The Mukh Mantri Tirath Yatra Scheme has facilitated 5,10,807 pilgrims to undertake pilgrimages to various religious destinations in and outside Punjab. At present, 95 AC buses are being operated under the scheme and have so far completed 12,485 trips.”

The Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister said, “The scheme was launched on November 9, 2025, and in its first phase, around four lakh pilgrims undertook journeys to Sri Amritsar Sahib, Sri Anandpur Sahib and Mata Naina Devi.”

He said, “The scheme was expanded on August 12, 2026, to include additional religious destinations such as Shri Khatu Shyam-Salasar Balaji Dham, Haridwar-Rishikesh and Mathura-Vrindavan.”

Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said, “Under the expanded scheme, people aged 50 years and above are eligible to undertake the pilgrimage. The Punjab Government is providing AC sleeper bus travel, accommodation and food free of cost to eligible pilgrims.”

The Tourism Minister said, “Special arrangements have been made to ensure the safety, security and convenience of pilgrims during the journey. A team of general and medical attendants is deployed on every bus, while dedicated teams are stationed at the destinations to facilitate the pilgrims.”

He said, “Arrangements for pilgrims include air-conditioned accommodation with adequate washroom facilities, along with food and other necessary amenities during the pilgrimage.”

“The devotees are very happy and satisfied during the journey and often sing bhajans along the way. I pray that every journey is safe and auspicious and that the pilgrims return happily after paying obeisance at the religious places,” said the Tourism Minister.

He further said, “On completion of the pilgrimage, devotees would also be provided prasad and a souvenir brass glass.”

The Tourism Minister said, “The scheme is open to eligible people irrespective of their area, caste or religion. The initiative seeks to facilitate elderly residents who wish to visit religious places and pay obeisance.”

Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said, “Clear directions have been issued by CM Bhagwant Singh Mann to ensure that every pilgrim is provided proper facilities and assistance throughout the journey. The concerned teams have been instructed to remain available for the convenience of pilgrims and to ensure the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage.”

The Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government has nominated 11 non-official members to the State Mental Health Authority (SMHA), giving fresh impetus to mental healthcare services in the state. This is a significant step towards protecting the rights of persons with mental illness in Punjab and a more accountable mental healthcare system in Punjab.

The strengthened SMHA will oversee the implementation of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 and monitor, regulate, and improve mental health services in accordance with the Act. The move also assumes importance as the state expands its mental health and de-addiction services under its flagship, Yudh Nasehan Virudh.

The SMHA serves as the state’s apex statutory body for regulating mental health setup, prescribing quality and service standards, registering specified mental health professionals and advising the government on mental health policy.

The official members for the Authority comprise senior officers from the health, medical education and social welfare departments, while the 11 non-official nominated members represent psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric social workers, nurses, persons with mental illness, caregivers, and NGOs. This representation is intended to ensure that mental healthcare policy is informed not only by administration and medical expertise but also by the experiences of patients, their families, and those working closely with them.

Mental Health Review Boards, chaired by a District Judge or an eligible judicial officer, are also functioning at the district level. These Boards provide an independent mechanism for reviewing admissions and treatment decisions, addressing complaints and alleged rights violations, examining advance directives and nominated representatives, and inspecting mental health establishments wherever required.

The list of nominated SMHA members includes veteran professionals and highly reputable organizations who have done commendable work in the field of mental health in the state and making mental health services accessible to the people.

As a nominated member, Dr. Satyen Sharma, a Senior Psychiatrist said, “The constitution of the State Mental Health Authority is an important step towards ensuring that mental healthcare in Punjab develops with both quality and accountability at its core. The Government is giving us a clear rights-based framework, and the Authority has to translate that into services that people can actually access, trust and benefit from. This requires ensuring attention to dignity, continuity of treatment, rehabilitation and the needs of families and caregivers.”

As a mental health professional hailing from Patiala, he added, “Mental health services have now started to reach people where they are. For a state like Punjab, strengthening services at the district and community level is particularly important so that people have access to treatment for not only physical but also mental ailments. The Authority has the opportunity to realize this objective.”

Dr. Satish K. Thapar, a senior mental health professional and one of the nominated members, said that “Punjab has its own mental health challenges, and we need solutions that are responsive to the realities of our people and communities. The government’s recent efforts to strengthen mental health and de-addiction services, and now the strengthening of the State Mental Health Authority, are positive steps in that direction. The Authority can help bring greater consistency and accountability to services across the state while ensuring that the rights and dignity of patients remain at the centre. There is considerable work ahead, and this is a good foundation on which Punjab can build a stronger mental healthcare system.”

The Authority will convene its first meeting with the nominated members in the coming week. The SMHA will provide a common regulatory framework for Punjab’s expanding mental healthcare ecosystem while ensuring that services remain patient-centric and rights-based. The initiative reinforces the Punjab government’s broader approach under Yudh Nasehan Virudh, which seeks to address substance abuse not merely through enforcement but through prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and community participation.

We have a strange habit of treating stress as a personality trait. She worries too much. He overthinks. They are going through a difficult phase. But stress can become a health problem. The challenge is recognising when ordinary worry has crossed that line.

Neurotic and stress-related disorders are not simply everyday stress. They involve clinically significant patterns of anxiety, fear, distress or physical symptoms that can interfere with everyday life. They include anxiety disorders, phobic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, reactions to severe stress and adjustment disorders.

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is recognised as one of the most common psychiatric disorders worldwide, affecting around 5% of people who meet the diagnostic criteria. Yet this may be only the tip of the iceberg, as many people do not seek treatment because of stigma and barriers to access.

Punjab’s Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana (MMSY) recognises mental health within its Mental Disorders category. For neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders, the package is classified as a Regular Procedure.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh said, “Mental-health treatment should not have to wait until a family reaches a financial or emotional breaking point.”

Dr Balbir Singh has stressed that mental health deserves the same priority as physical health and that financial barriers should not stop people from seeking care. “Including mental-health treatment under Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana is intended to make care more accessible and encourage people to seek help earlier,” he added.

Dr Gagandeep Sekhon, MD Psychiatry, Consultant Psychiatrist, Civil Hospital Barnala, said, “Mental health concerns are often ignored until they begin to interfere with daily functioning, by which time they are harder to manage.” He said the 18–45 age group is particularly important because people in this phase are building careers, managing relationships and handling financial responsibilities.

When the mind refuses to switch off

Think of stress as an alarm system. It should ring when there is danger and quieten when the danger passes. Dr Gagandeep Sekhon added, “With a stress-related disorder, the alarm becomes the problem. A person may experience persistent worry, fear, irritability, difficulty concentrating, disturbed sleep or a constant sense of being on edge. Anxiety can also become physical, causing palpitations, sweating, trembling, nausea and muscle tension.” The WHO also notes that anxiety disorders can interfere with family life, education and work.

Then there is another, less understood phenomenon: the body can become the language of psychological distress. “Somatoform disorders involve physical symptoms that persist even when investigations do not fully explain their severity. Symptoms may include pain, heaviness or bloating,” informed Dr Gagandeep Sekhon.

This is why telling someone “it’s all in your head” misses the point. The symptoms are real. The connection between mind and body is real.

Sometimes, it is one major event—it could be bereavement, separation, illness, financial upheaval or another profound life change. At other times, it is cumulative: months of workplace pressure, family responsibilities, uncertainty and poor sleep can gradually push someone beyond their ability to cope.

Making timely healthcare accessible can matter in such situations, and the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana (MMSY) can help eligible families access covered treatment without letting the cost of care become another layer of worry.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Media In-charge and Nasha Mukti Morcha Chief Spokesperson Baltej Pannu on Thursday hit out at the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’, calling it political nautanki and questioning the party’s silence when it was a partner in power in Punjab during 2007-17, the period when ‘chitta’ emerged and spread across the state. Pannu questioned why the BJP failed to undertake any anti-drug campaign then, why the Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation was stalled when names were emerging and officer Niranjan Singh was transferred, and why the BJP is now selectively targeting Punjab while remaining silent on drug-affected states, including neighbouring Haryana.

The AAP Punjab Media In-charge said all sensitive districts of Punjab are border districts under the Border Security Force (BSF) and the BJP must explain what it is doing to stop drugs from entering the state, instead of using the issue to defame Punjab. Pannu said the reality on the ground is reflected in Punjab’s growing sporting culture, with more than 25,000 youth participating in the Bathinda run and 3,100 sports grounds built across the state, around 750 of which have already been dedicated to the people.

Addressing a press conference, AAP Punjab Media In-charge and Nasha Mukti Morcha Chief Spokesperson Baltej Pannu said, “Every effort against drugs is welcome, but the BJP must first answer for its own record. The BJP was a partner in the Punjab Government from 2007 to 2017, precisely during the period when the menace of ‘chitta’ emerged and spread across Punjab. Today, the same BJP is undertaking a ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’. Why did the BJP not undertake any yatra, campaign or sustained pressure against drugs when it was itself in the government?”

The AAP Punjab Media In-charge stated, “During the 2007-17 period, reports emerged about drugs being transported in vehicles associated with the government. An Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation into the drug network was initiated by officer Niranjan Singh.”

He questioned, “Why was the investigation stalled when names were emerging in the probe? Why was officer Niranjan Singh transferred? The BJP was also in power at the Centre from 2014 to 2017. It must answer why the investigation did not reach its logical conclusion.”

Baltej Pannu asserted, “The impact of the drug crisis during that period was devastating. Young people were dying from overdoses, which were often described publicly as ‘silent heart attacks’. The situation had reached a stage where even de-addiction facilities for women had to be opened during the Akali-BJP government. Where was the BJP’s concern for Punjab’s youth at that time? Where was its ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’ then?”

“The BJP is now selectively highlighting Punjab while remaining silent about drug-affected districts in BJP-ruled states. The recent NCB report mentions 73 ultra-sensitive districts, of which six are in Punjab. Several other districts mentioned in the report are located in other states, but the BJP continues to focus its political narrative only on Punjab. Why this selective approach?” said Baltej Pannu.

The AAP Punjab Media In-charge, “If the BJP is genuinely concerned about drugs, it should address the entire national drug problem instead of using the issue to defame Punjab. Why is the BJP silent about the drug situation in states where it is in power? Why is Punjab being selectively targeted?”

He pointed out, “All the sensitive districts of Punjab being highlighted in this context are border districts. These districts fall under the Border Security Force (BSF), which is directly under the Central Government. The BJP must answer what it is doing to stop drugs from entering Punjab across the border. Instead of organising political yatras, why does the BJP not explain what steps the Central Government and BSF are taking to stop cross-border drug smuggling?”

“After coming to power in 2022, the AAP government led by CM Bhagwant Singh Mann launched the systematic ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’. Punjab Police has been taking sustained action against the drug network and the Punjab Government has been working with the BSF to curb drug smuggling, particularly across the border. Punjab has also deployed its own anti-drone system and taken sustained action against the drug network,” said Baltej Pannu.

The AAP Punjab Media In-charge affirmed, “The Bhagwant Mann government is fighting the drug menace on the ground. The BJP should compare this sustained action with what happened between 2007 and 2017, when it was itself a partner in the Punjab Government. Political yatras cannot substitute for concrete action against drugs.”

He pointed out, “The real change in Punjab is also visible in the way its youth are increasingly turning towards sports. More than 25,000 young people participated in the recent youth run in Bathinda. The response to these events is growing and the upcoming events are expected to attract even larger participation.”

Baltej Pannu asserted, “The Bhagwant Mann Government has built 3,100 sports grounds, with around 750 already dedicated to the people. These grounds are creating opportunities for children, youth and multiple generations to participate in sports. Every evening, children and young people can be seen playing in village and town grounds across Punjab.”

“The BJP repeatedly tries to portray Punjab as a ‘state of drug addicts’, but Punjab’s sporting achievements directly challenge this narrative. Punjab is a state of sporting talent. Children are playing in village grounds, young people are participating in runs and athletes from Punjab are representing the country at the highest level,” said Baltej Pannu.

The AAP Punjab Media In-charge stated, “Punjab has nine players in the Indian hockey team, including players from the very border districts that are repeatedly highlighted in negative narratives about drugs. Punjab also has representation in India’s national cricket teams. These achievements show the sporting strength and talent of Punjab’s youth.”

He affirmed, “The people of Punjab have already rejected the stigma attached to the state and are moving towards sports and a healthier future. The BJP should first answer what it did between 2007 and 2017, when it was a partner in the government, before undertaking political campaigns against drugs today.”

“Punjab welcomes every genuine effort against drugs, but the BJP must stop using the issue to politically target and defame Punjab. The Mann Government’s ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign will continue until the drug menace is eliminated and Punjab is restored as a vibrant, progressive and sporting state,” said Baltej Pannu.