Chandigarh, March 9 -- The Punjab government will launch a drug and socio-economic census in April, with Rs.100 crore allocated in the state budget presented on Sunday. The exercise aims to generate reliable data on drug abuse and socio-economic conditions and help design targeted welfare interventions.

Presenting the budget, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the government has completed the groundwork for the initiative, which is expected to provide the government with accurate data on the prevalence of the drug menace in the state, including the number of addicts and the socio-economic conditions linked to drug abuse.

"The necessary groundwork has been completed, including development of the dedicated software platform and com...