Ampati/Resubelpara:
An alarming revelation was made by State Nodal Officer, National Tobacco Control Programme on the use of tobacco by minors in the state. May 31 is observed every year as World No Tobacco Day with this year’s theme being “Tobacco: Threat to our environment”.
Dr. Lana Nongbri, State Nodal Officer, National Tobacco Control Programme, revealed that the campaign against tobacco will surely make a dent in the alarming levels of tobacco use in Meghalaya. She said according to the Global Tobacco Youth Survey (GYTS-2019), 47 per cent of adults in Meghalaya use tobacco while 34 per cent of minors between 13-15 year olds also indulge in the use of tobacco.
She also said it been a record-breaking World No Tobacco Day in Meghalaya this year. Schools from every block in all the districts of Meghalaya are participating and students are sensitising thousands of people in the community, according to Nongbri.
Elaborating on the harmful use of tobacco, she said, “Tobacco is not only harmful to human beings, it is damaging to the environment. The very high usage of tobacco causes death and disease and puts a very heavy burden on families. The Tobacco Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) Programme works with youth and will change the attitude of our population towards tobacco and reduce usage.’’
According to Dr Ashima Sarin, Director, Sambandh Health Foundation, the campaign is a part of the Tobacco Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) programme being run in the state, because of which students are now taking the lead against tobacco. “There are 8,000 deaths caused by tobacco every year in Meghalaya and the state has some of the highest cancer rates in the country. The ToFEI campaign is becoming a game changer for reducing tobacco usage. We have received full support from the Deputy Commissioners and Police in all districts of Meghalaya,” she added.
As part of the observance of World No Tobacco Day, the state Department of Health in collaboration with Sambandh Health Foundation (SHF), a Gurugram-based NGO, is running a campaign to create awareness on how tobacco is damaging the environment. This year’s theme aims to highlight the pollution on the planet and damage to the health of people caused tobacco throughout its lifecycle.
In the month of April, the health department sent out memes on WhatsApp to principals and teachers of all schools on how tobacco harms the environment, which were then shared with students. The memes depict how a single tree is burnt to cure tobacco used for every 300 cigarettes, how cigarette butts create litter as it is not biodegradable and can spread the harmful chemical contents and how people chew tobacco and then spit in public places.
The campaign requires every school to do two activities- a rally against tobacco and a signature campaign. Each school has to get its students to create awareness in the community on the current theme. Schools and students across the state have taken up both activities with great enthusiasm.
Accordingly, schools across South West Garo Hills and North Garo Hills districts have undertaken awareness rallies and signature campaign to spread the message against tobacco and its ill-effects on human health and environment.
The signature campaign required students to convey the harmful effects tobacco has on environment with family, friends and neighbours and get their signatures. Schools are also organising rallies in public places. Schools which did both the activities with maximum student participation are eligible to win awards.
The awards will be given by the National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP), Meghalaya for each category of School – Primary, Upper Primary, Secondary and Higher Secondary which will be given for the best school in each category in each Block. The block-level winners are eligible for district-level awards and the best from each district will vie for State-level awards. The State winners will be felicitated on World No Tobacco Day on May 31, next.