Punjab's first drug and socio-economic census has become a political flashpoint after teachers deployed for the exercise alleged that a major part of the questionnaire focuses on the Bhagwant Mann government's welfare schemes rather than the drug problem itself. The opposition has accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of using the exercise to assess voter mood before the 2027 Assembly election.
The survey reportedly contains nearly 120 questions, including sub-questions and drop-down responses. Teachers involved in the enumeration have said that a large share of the mandatory questions relate to schemes such as free electricity, free bus travel for women, Aam Aadmi Clinics, religious travel support and other public programmes.
The Punjab government has defended the questionnaire, saying the scheme-related questions are meant to gather suggestions for improvement and that additional questions appear only when respondents answer yes to initial prompts. Officials argue that a socio-economic census linked to drug use must understand household conditions, government access and public welfare delivery.
The political sensitivity is obvious. Punjab's drug crisis is a deeply emotional public issue, and any survey bearing that title carries an expectation that it will measure addiction, treatment access, trafficking patterns and family distress. If citizens see the exercise as a political feedback drive, trust in the data may suffer.
For AAP, the census can become an administrative tool only if the government is transparent about the questionnaire, data use, privacy safeguards and final findings. For opposition parties, the issue offers a way to question both the government's intent and its handling of a serious social problem.
The credibility of the exercise will depend on what the final report contains. A census that produces clear treatment, enforcement and rehabilitation planning can justify its breadth. A report that reads like political feedback would deepen the controversy.
