Recognising its efforts in controlling tobacco consumption, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has selected Jharkhand for the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) Award-2022, an official said on Sunday.
Stata Tobacco Control Cell of the Health Department will receive the award on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day in New Delhi on May 31, Jharkhand’s nodal officer of National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) Lalit Ranjan Pathak told PTI.
“It’s a great achievement for Jharkhand, which could be possible only due to political and administrative supports that tobacco control cell has got in implementing the programme,” Pathak said.
NTCP was launched in Jharkhand in 2012 when the tobacco prevalence rate in the state was 51.1 per cent, of which 48 per cent were smokeless users, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS)-1 report.
The GATS-2 report, which was published in 2018, said tobacco users came down to 38.9 per cent in the state, of which 35.4 per cent were smokeless users.
“To bring it further down, Jharkhand initiated a slew of measures between 2018 and 2022,” Pathak said.
The Union Health Ministry, WHO and the dedicated state and district health teams have contributed a lot to reducing the tobacco prevalence rate in Jharkhand, he said.
Jharkhand tobacco ban
In 2020, the Jharkhand government imposed a ban on the consumption of tobacco products in public places and made public spitting an offence under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.
The government had, however, not prohibited the sale of tobacco products in the State.
“Consumption of tobacco poses a serious threat to public health. Public spitting is said to be the prime reason behind the spread of infections. Due to indiscriminate spitting, the possibility of spread of diseases such as COVID-19, encephalitis and tuberculosis goes up,” said the Jharkhand government issuing an order.
Any violation of the order will attract punishment under Sections 188, 268, 269 and 270 of the IPC.
Ban on hookah bars
In 2021, the state government approved a proposal to completely ban hookah bars in the state. As per the decision, those flouting rules may face a prison sentence or a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
The cabinet has also approved a decision to make the sale and purchase of tobacco products like cigarettes in public places illegal. Anyone found breaking the rules will be fined Rs 1,000. The earlier fine charged under the law was Rs 200.
A decision to increase the minimum age for buying tobacco products in the state has also been increased from 18 to 21. It may be noted that those below the age of 21 will not be allowed to purchase any tobacco products.
