A 100-day action plan with 38 points will be implemented in the state for discouraging use of tobacco products in the state. It will be a major campaign run by the Health department along with NGOs to be implemented across the state from urban areas to rural areas.
A workshop was organised for implementation of the 100-day action plan at the State Institute of Health & Family Welfare(SIHFW).
One of the 38 points of the 100-day action plan was enforcement of provisions of Cigarette and Other Tobacco Product Act 2003. On April 30, the health department will launch a drive for enforcement of COTPA-2003 to prevent its violation. Soni said action would be taken for violating the provisions of COTPA.
Besides, the health authorities will ensure that school campuses would be declared tobacco-free. The focus of the action plan for discouraging tobacco products will be on schools and children. In the state, children start chewing tobacco much earlier in comparison to smoking. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)-4 released recently showed that the Median age of initiation of smokeless tobacco among 13 to 15-year-old is 7.6 years and for cigarettes it is 13.4 years. Besides, 9.3% of children are exposed to second-hand smoking in the state. Now, the health department will organize various competitions at village, block and district level for school students focusing on discouraging use of tobacco products.