Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav on Tuesday said the development of the nation is closely linked to the health of its young population, and urged everyone to pledge to resist and quit tobacco.
He made the statement after launching the second edition of Tobacco Free Youth Campaign 2.0 at a hybrid event held at Lady Hardinge Medical College here in the capital. The campaign is to protect the health and well-being of young people from the harmful effects of tobacco. Speaking on the occasion, Jadhav also urged elders to take responsibility for ensuring the youth don’t fall into tobacco use.
Pointing out that every year around 13 lakh people lose their lives due to tobacco in India, the minister said, “Tobacco has become a fashion statement among the youth but it can lead to dangerous diseases like cancer.” Motivating the youth to prioritise their health over tobacco use, Jadhav said “Good health is intrinsically related to own as well as closed one’s happiness”.
He stated that this year’s 60-day campaign prioritises five key areas including increasing public awareness about the dangers of tobacco, particularly among youth and rural communities, improving compliance with the revised guidelines for Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) to keep schools and colleges free from tobacco, and strengthening the enforcement of tobacco control laws, especially COTPA 2003 and the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA) 2019, to limit youth access to tobacco. The participants took the ‘Say No To Tobacco’ pledge to remain tobacco-free, followed by a photo session featuring students and celebrities on the occasion. It was on September 21, the Central government issued an advisory to all States and Union Territories (UTs), calling for effective implementation of the ToFEI manual, in line with the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003 in educational institutions.