Government de-addiction centres in Punjab witnessed a sharp rise in admissions, increasing from 9,577 in 2024 to 25,290 in 2025 — a rise of over 164 per cent. The trend continued this year, with more than 14,000 persons admitted to government de-addiction centres by July.Admissions to government rehabilitation centres also rose sharply, from 2,644 in 2024 to 8,574 in 2025 — an increase of over 224 per cent. By July 2026, more than 5,800 persons had already been admitted, accounting for nearly 68 per cent of the total admissions recorded in 2025.The expanding reach of treatment is also reflected in Punjab’s network of outpatient opioid-assisted treatment (OOAT) clinics. New registrations increased from 13,033 in 2024 to 17,702 in 2025, while more than 12,500 new patients had registered by August this year.As of August 27 this year, more than 11,000 individuals had been granted immunity under Section 64A of the NDPS Act. The provision gives legal immunity to people suffering from drug addiction or those charged with consumption or possession of drugs, subject to conditions prescribed under the law.Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh said, “For Punjab, the sharp increase in admissions is proving to be one of the most encouraging indicators of the initiative. People are increasingly stepping forward. Families are seeking institutional support and the state’s treatment network is reaching individuals who may otherwise have remained outside the formal system.”The data on rising admissions to de-addiction centres comes in the wake of a report submitted by the state’s prisons department to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, stating that 45 per cent of inmates in the state’s jails are drug addicts. Of the 35,449 inmates lodged in different jails, 15,768 were dependent on drugs, the report stated.Earlier reports tabled during the Vidhan Sabha session revealed that the Punjab government had purchased 43.44 crore Buprenorphine tablets over the past four-and-a-half years and supplied them to lakhs of people seeking treatment for drug abuse.The report further stated that 8.87 crore tablets had so far been supplied in jails this year by the Punjab Health Systems Corporation, compared with 1.17 crore tablets in 2022. As many as 40,830 inmates have been registered for treatment in jails between 2022 and the present.The report stated that a 13-member committee of MLAs found that 7 crore tablets were purchased in 2022, 9.44 crore in 2023, 10 crore in 2024 and 11 crore in 2025.