Deoghar has launched a 60-day tobacco-free campaign targeting 600 schools and 45 villages across the district under the National Tobacco Control Programme, with officials directed to combine awareness drives with enforcement against tobacco use.
Deputy commissioner Saurabh Kumar Bhuvania launched Tobacco-Free Youth Campaign 4.0 on Thursday at the collectorate premises and flagged off two awareness vehicles to carry the anti-tobacco message across the district. He also administered an anti-tobacco pledge to officials and employees.
The campaign will focus on schools and colleges, where government departments have been asked to conduct awareness programmes aimed at young people. Officials have also been directed to intensify enforcement and use social media to expand the campaign’s reach.
The district’s target is to make 600 schools and 45 villages tobacco-free during the 60-day campaign. The report did not specify the criteria that will be used to certify a school or village as tobacco-free, or provide details of the enforcement actions planned under the initiative.
Bhuvania said achieving a tobacco-free society would require participation from all sections of society. The campaign’s theme, “Tobacco ka zehar jal, jangal, jeevan par kahar”, links tobacco use not only to health concerns but also to the impact on water, forests and life.
The launch followed a meeting of the district tobacco control coordination committee chaired by the deputy commissioner. During the meeting, he instructed departments to ensure effective implementation and coordinate awareness activities across educational institutions and villages.
The campaign places schools and villages at the centre of district-level tobacco control, making implementation dependent on coordination between departments, educational institutions and local communities. Its immediate operational focus will be the awareness vehicles, school and college drives, social media outreach and enforcement measures planned during the 60-day period.
