Regional Summit held on Strengthening Effective Implementation of the National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP) in India
Over 15 lac people were challaned for violation of tobacco control law in the 8 northern states in the financial year 2022-23
A Three-day Regional Summit on “Strengthening Effective Implementation of the National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP) in India” was held in Delhi to discuss the initiatives and to address the existing gaps and challenges in the effective implementation of NTCP. The summit was organized by the Resource Center for Tobacco Control (RCTC), Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
(The Union) South-East Asia. The summit brought together key stakeholders including, policymakers, implementers, academia, and civil society organizations of 8 northern states viz. Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
The discussions were held on the development of a roadmap for NTCP implementation in the states and mitigation of existing challenges by learning through peer states. The key areas highlighted for strengthening tobacco control were tobacco cessation services, countering tobacco industry interference, enforcement of tobacco control laws, smokeless tobacco, emerging novel tobacco products, raising taxes uniformly on tobacco products, ban on tobacco advertisement promotion and sponsorship, tackling illicit trade, regulation of tobacco products. During the workshop, innovative tobacco control initiatives from states were
highlighted.
Ms. V. Hekali Zhimomi, Additional Secretary, MoHFW, Govt. of India while appreciating the efforts of the Resource Centre for Tobacco Control at PGIMER Chandigarh released the report of ‘AIIMS Consortium on Tobacco Control’. “The formation of a consortium of AIIMS across the country is a significant step toward strengthening tobacco control in India.Other medical institutions should be made part of this consortium to further strengthen the national tobacco control program’ said Ms. Hekali Zhimomi. Ms Zhimomi also stressed the state nodal officers; role as custodians, and advocated for operational research on key tobacco control priorities, while underscoring the need for partnerships and coalitions in tobacco control”. The three-day Regional Summit united Nodal Officers of 8 states from northern India. Deliberations have led to the development of a common framework of action for northern states of India. Further, this workshop enlightened solutions to various implementation challenges through mutual discussions” informed Dr. Sonu Goel, Director-RCTC and Professor, Department of Community Medicine, and School of Public Health, PGIMER,Chandigarh and chief organizer of the workshop. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS 2016-17), Every fifth adult (19.9crore) uses smokeless tobacco and every tenth adult (10.0 crore) smokes tobacco. Around 8.5% of students (9.6% of boys and 7.4% of girls) currently use any tobacco products. Such a
high number of tobacco users in the country requires strengthening of policies, capacity building and sensitization ofstakeholders.
“Over 15 lac people were challaned for violation of tobacco control law in the 8 northern states in the financial year 2022-23. In Rajasthan, 9 lac people challaned in a single day for violations” informed Dr. Rana J Singh, Deputy Regional Director, The Union SEA. Over the three days, a technical session and hands-on information sharing with RCTC were held where participants reiterated their commitment to advancing tobacco control and reducing the public health burden imposed by tobacco
