Chandigarh, June 6 -- Seeking to deepen the reach of its "Yudh Nashian Virudh" campaign at the village level, the Punjab government has deployed specially designated e-rickshaws in 3,440 villages, building on the Village Defence Committees formed earlier this year to take the anti-drug initiative to the grassroots. Under the pilot project, covering roughly one-third of all villages across 23 districts of the state, one assembly segment per district has been identified, with a single e-rickshaw assigned to cover 40 villages each, according to a government release. The e-rickshaws, equipped with a public address system and informational flex boards, go village to village spreading awareness about the harmful effects of drug abuse and avenues for rehabilitation. The mobile units will also collect anonymous tips about drug peddlers and individuals in need of de-addiction services, reaching communities normally difficult to access through conventional outreach. Earlier in January, under round 2 of Yudh Nashian Virudh, the government had roped in a team of 1.5 lakh volunteers, christened "Pinda de Pehredaar", who through Village Defence Committees (VDCs) have been conducting anti-drug campaigns in nearly 13,000 villages across the state. VDC members have reported greater participation at village-level meetings since the e-rickshaws were deployed. The month of June will see a structured four-tier review - assembly-level meetings in the first week, VDC meetings in the second, a ministerial review in the third and a final assessment by chief minister Bhagwant Mann in the last week, during which he will also set the road map for the campaign's next phase. State health minister Balbir Singh said the e-rickshaws were helping initiate dialogue at the community level about the social and financial consequences of addiction, turning Yudh Nashian Virudh into a people's movement. "Local residents have shown keen interest in the outreach activities," he added....