JAMMU, SEPTEMBER 03: A one day sensitization workshop on National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) was today held for the Nodal Officers of key stakeholder departments by State Tobacco Control Cell Directorate of Health Services Jammu.
Participants from Health, Police, Sales Tax Excise, Education, Labour , members from Civil Society and several other stakeholders attended the workshop.
In his address, Director Health Services, Jammu Dr Abdul Hamid Zargar highlighted the impending need for eradicating the menace of Tobacco consumption. “More than 50 lakh persons lose their life to tobacco attributable causes yearly worldwide- the number of deaths in India being 13.5 lakh,” the DHSJ said. He said that the Department of Health is actively working in the field of Tobacco Cessation and has established Tobacco Cessation Centers in all the District Hospitals of Jammu Division, where the people are being provided free counselling and medicines to help them quit its use. He informed the participants of the efforts being made by the department to create awareness amongst the population regarding the ill effects of Tobacco, and prevent the people from picking up this habit.
He stressed about the importance of multi stakeholder cooperation in Tobacco Control and the role of each Department to address the growing menace of Tobacco. He impressed upon the participants to implement the provisions of COTPA 2003 and other tobacco control laws in letter and spirit.
The participants were sensitized about the Epidemiology of Tobacco use, Tobacco Control Laws including COTPA-2003 and PECA 2019, Tobacco Free Educational Institutions and Tobacco Free Village initiative of Government of India.
