NATIONAL :The Union Education Ministry and the Union Health Ministry on saturday issued a joint advisory to all states and Union territories, calling for the rigorous implementation of the Tobacco-Free Educational Institution manual.

In a significant move to combat tobacco use among youth, the Secretaries of the Union Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare have jointly issued an advisory to all States and Union Territories. The advisory, addressed to Chief Secretaries, calls for the rigorous implementation of the Tobacco-Free Educational Institution (ToFEI) manual, in line with the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003 in educational institutions.

This joint advisory underscores the alarming effects of tobacco consumption, particularly on children and adolescents. It draws attention to the findings of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2019, which revealed that 8.5% of school students aged 13 to 15 in India consume tobacco in various forms. Of particular concern is the fact that over 5,500 children in India begin using tobacco every day. Moreover, 55% of lifelong tobacco users initiate the habit before the age of 20, with many adolescents turning to other addictive substances as a result.

The advisory emphasizes the need for collaborative efforts of all the stakeholders to safeguard young people from the dangers of tobacco addiction. The goal is to protect future generations by raising awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco use and promoting tobacco control measures within educational institutions.

As part of the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, released the Tobacco Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) Guidelines for safeguarding minors and youth from tobacco and electronic cigarette use. Further, the Department of School Education and Literacy has developed and launched the ToFEI Implementation Manual on World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) in collaboration with Socio-Economic and Educational Development Society (SEEDS). The Department issued the manual on 31st May 2024 to all States/UTs for compliance.