World No Tobacco Day is being observed worldwide today

World No Tobacco Day is being observed today to raise awareness against the dangers of using tobacco. The day is a global initiative by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to end the use of tobacco. The theme for this year is Unmasking the appeal – Countering nicotine and tobacco addiction.

As part of the observance, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava on Friday launched the pilot version of the Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions-ToFEI Application in New Delhi. The application aims to strengthen the implementation and monitoring of tobacco-free norms across schools and colleges in the country.

It will also facilitate self-assessment and reporting by educational institutions, monitor compliance with tobacco-free guidelines, ensure implementation of tobacco control signage, and help prohibit the sale of tobacco products within one hundred yards of educational institutions. Addressing the gathering, Ms Srivastava said that this year’s World No Tobacco Day theme is highly relevant in protecting young people from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine addiction.

She noted that more than two thousand Tobacco Cessation Centres have been established across the country in hospitals, medical colleges, AYUSH institutions and other healthcare facilities. The Secretary further called upon educational institutions and stakeholders to actively participate in the pilot phase of the ToFEI application and strengthen tobacco-free practices across campuses.