Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:

We must not allow other people’s perceptions to define us,” said the American writer, Virginia Satir. Reputations are built after years of hard work, but nefarious designs by a few can spoil them. Punjab is known for its patriotic people, contributions to the country’s food security and armed forces, and rich cultural legacy. But in the last decade, the state has been projected as the drug capital of India, and the people as addicts. There is no denying that Punjab has a drug problem, but it is being blown out of proportion, and the geographical roots of the issue are being deliberately ignored. The way the issue has been portrayed on the silver screen has also damaged the state’s reputation.

As per the National Crime Records Bureau, there are more than 100 million drug users in India, and the consumption rate of various narcotics substances has seen a 70% increase in the last eight years. In 2021, the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre identified 272 districts with a high rate of drug abuse. It categorised states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh with an increased incidence of drug abuse among those above 40, whereas Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland were categorised as states with a large number of young drug abusers (with ages below 20). Substance abuse, from expensive and sophisticated drugs in cities to cough syrup in rural India, is a matter of concern. Drug abuse is a national problem, and we must find solutions by addressing its root causes. The vilification of a particular state and its people may help accrue petty political dividends but will not solve the problem.

Punjab shares a 550 km border with Pakistan, out of which 50 km is a riverine area, a preferred route for drug smuggling. The first line of defence in these areas is the Border Security Force (BSF). BSF’s intensive monitoring, including drones over rivers, canals and drains, can reduce such smuggling. However, recent raids in several ports of the country and the recovery of vast quantities of drugs have established long-standing claims of Punjab Police that its neighbouring states are the new hotspots for smuggling illegal substances into Punjab. A check on the smuggling of drugs through the Golden Crescent — the clandestine land routes of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran — will be a practical step to controlling drugs into the country. Vulnerable points on the nation’s coastline must be identified and plugged to break the supply chain of drugs into India.