Mokokchung joins statewide tobacco-free youth drive
Nagaland has launched the 60-day Tobacco-Free Youth Campaign (TFYC) 4.0 across the state to strengthen tobacco prevention, improve compliance with tobacco-control laws and protect young people from tobacco use.
The State Tobacco Control Cell (STCC) under the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) launched the campaign at the Nagaland Institute of Allied and Healthcare (NIAH), Paramedical, Kohima. A district-level launch was also held by the District Tobacco Control Cell, Mokokchung, at the College of Nursing on October 28.
At the state-level launch, Dr Imotemsu, Director of Family Welfare, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, attended as special guest and formally launched the campaign. He stressed the need to use the 60-day period to intensify tobacco-control activities, strengthen coordination across districts and assess progress towards campaign targets.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr I. Simon Sumi, State Nodal Officer, NTCP, outlined the campaign’s six strategies: public awareness, Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions, Tobacco-Free Villages, enforcement of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, and the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019, social media engagement, and engagement with universities and colleges.
The campaign targets include conducting at least 30 information, education and communication (IEC) events per district, increasing institutional compliance and Tobacco-Free Village coverage by 50%, increasing enforcement activities by 20%, and onboarding 30% of universities and colleges in the state.
In Mokokchung, Dr K. Tiasenla, District Nodal Officer, NTCP, highlighted the challenges of tobacco use among young people and the role of educational institutions in promoting tobacco-free lifestyles. Dr Alemwabang Aier, Medical Superintendent, IMDH, Mokokchung, formally launched the campaign in the district and encouraged students to become ambassadors of a tobacco-free lifestyle and discourage tobacco use in their communities.
The district programme, chaired by Nukshiwati Longchar, District Consultant, NTCP, also included a review of COTPA, 2003, and a pledge-taking session in which participants committed to remaining tobacco-free and spreading awareness among their peers.
At the state-level programme, Dr Akaba Jamir, Principal of NIAH, delivered the welcome address, while Dr Neingtunuo Angami, District Nodal Officer, NTCP, Kohima, chaired the programme. Dr N. Moangangba Jamir, State Programme Officer, National Oral Health Programme, delivered the concluding remarks.
