Last Updated on May 31, 2026 3:47 pm by BIZNAMA NEWS
New Volunteers Join Anti-Tobacco Campaign
AMN / JAIPUR
— Tobacco and smoking-related illnesses have escalated into a critical public health crisis in Rajasthan, claiming nearly 211 lives every single day. This pushes the state’s annual death toll to a staggering 77,000 people. On a broader scale, this preventable epidemic kills over seven million people globally and approximately 1.35 million individuals across India each year.
In response to this devastation, the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the theme for World No Tobacco Day 2026 as “Unmasking the Appeal – Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction.” The initiative focuses heavily on exposing the deceptive marketing tactics used by the tobacco industry to snare young users into lifelong dependency. Coinciding with this global push, a wave of new volunteers is joining grassroots anti-tobacco campaigns across the state.
Predatory Marketing and Rising Youth Addiction
According to Senior Professor Dr. Pawan Singhal from the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur, tobacco companies frequently misrepresent their products as symbols of fashion and modern lifestyle to target vulnerable adolescents. The data paints a grim picture: over 300 children in Rajasthan and nearly 5,500 children across India start consuming tobacco every single day.
Currently, 24.7 percent of Rajasthan’s population uses tobacco in some form (13.2 percent smokers and 14.1 percent smokeless tobacco users). Medical experts reiterate that tobacco remains a leading cause of oral, throat, and stomach cancers, alongside triggering heart attacks, strokes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
A Call for Stricter Enforcement and Social Reform
Dr. Somil Rastogi, Trustee of the Sukham Foundation, emphasized that public awareness alone cannot halt this tragedy; it must be backed by aggressive legal and social interventions. Health advocates are calling for:
- A absolute ban on tobacco advertising and strict sales regulations near high-concentration youth areas.
- Heavy penalties and restrictions on public spitting and improper disposal of tobacco waste.
- Seamless integration of tobacco health education into school curricula.
Rajasthan’s Strategy Gains Global Recognition
Despite the heavy toll, Rajasthan’s proactive counter-measures have earned international acclaim. The WHO honored the state government with the prestigious World No Tobacco Day Award 2026. Furthermore, following Dr. Pawan Singhal’s 2025 appointment as a mentor by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Rajasthan has transformed into an international hub for tobacco-control education, training public health professionals globally to dismantle the tobacco crisis.
World No Tobacco Day being observed
World No Tobacco Day is being observed today to raise awareness against the dangers of using tobacco. The day is a global initiative by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to end the use of tobacco.
The theme for this year is Unmasking the appeal – Countering nicotine and tobacco addiction.
As part of the observance, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava on Friday launched the pilot version of the Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions-ToFEI Application in New Delhi.
The application aims to strengthen the implementation and monitoring of tobacco-free norms across schools and colleges in the country.
It will also facilitate self-assessment and reporting by educational institutions, monitor compliance with tobacco-free guidelines, ensure implementation of tobacco control signage, and help prohibit the sale of tobacco products within one hundred yards of educational institutions.
Addressing the gathering, Ms Srivastava said that this year’s World No Tobacco Day theme is highly relevant in protecting young people from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine addiction.
She noted that more than two thousand Tobacco Cessation Centres have been established across the country in hospitals, medical colleges, AYUSH institutions and other healthcare facilities.
The Secretary further called upon educational institutions and stakeholders to actively participate in the pilot phase of the ToFEI application and strengthen tobacco-free practices across campuses.