AP: Action plan for tobacco free' youth as part of World No Tobacco Day

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh has formulated an action plan for a 60-day campaign under the banner of ‘Tobacco-Free Youth’. This aims at spreading awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco.

The thrust of the campaign is to enhance compliance with the ‘Tobacco Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI)’ endeavour as also enhance enforcement of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Prohibition Act (COTPA 2003).

This would be a part of the Tobacco Free Villages campaign marking World No Tobacco Day on May 31. AP is a major tobacco-producing state with Guntur as the main centre of its trade.

Health minister Vidadala Rajani said the government is conducting a public awareness campaign to prompt students to take the ‘No Tobacco’ pledge in all educational institutions. It would designate a teacher/staff/student as a Tobacco Monitor, who would organise activities such as essays, paintings, posters, quiz and debate competitions highlighting the harms of tobacco and a discussion in school assemblies, school rallies and Prabhat Pheris.

Another step in this direction is to demarcate a 'Yellow Line' near schools, signifying the area as tobacco-free. Enforcement drives would be organised within 100 yards of each school.’

Placing of statutory signage for sections 4 and 6 as per COTPA, intensifying of COTPA enforcement drives in hotspots, issuing of challan for those who do smoking in public places, removal of tobacco advertisements from PoS (Point of sale) and seizure of tobacco product packs that do not carry the statutory warnings have been planned.

Plans are also to conduct special Grama Sabha meetings for sensitization of key stakeholders of each village, namely gram panchayat members, NGOs, SHGs, youths and farmers.

Another plan is to hold ‘Tobacco-Free Village’ declaration programmes at the behest of local political leaders, panchayat heads, public representatives etc. The Gram Sabhas/Village Councils would monitor tobacco-control activities and ensure the sustenance of their tobacco-free status.

Minister Rajni said AP State observes May 31 as World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) every year. The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2023 is, ‘We Need Food, Not Tobacco'.