The District Level Coordination Committee (DLCC) quarterly meeting under the District Tobacco Control Cell (DTCC), National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), Wokha, was held at the DC’s Conference Hall on Thursday, with Deputy Commissioner and Chairman of DTCC and DLCC, NTCP, Wokha, K Mhathung Tsanglao, chairing the session.
During the meeting, Tsanglao launched the Tobacco Free Youth Campaign (TFYC) 4.0, a 60-day initiative aimed at intensifying awareness, enforcement and community participation in the fight against tobacco use. On the occasion, Wokha Town Council and Police Station Wokha were declared Tobacco Free Offices, marking another step in the district’s tobacco-control efforts.
Dr Kihito Awomi, Senior Dental Surgeon and District Nodal Officer, NTCP, Wokha, presented the activities undertaken by the DTCC and outlined the objectives of TFYC 4.0. He emphasised strategies to bring more offices and villages under the tobacco-free initiative while reviewing the progress achieved so far.
According to the report presented at the meeting, 119 educational institutions, 47 health centres, one dental clinic, four offices, one police station, one bank and seven villages in the district have been declared tobacco-free.
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The enforcement drive has also resulted in 30 defaulters being booked under Sections 4 and 6(a) and (b) of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003.
Other activities undertaken by the DTCC included coverage of public and private schools, counselling for 132 clients, pharmaceutical support to eight individuals, 20 Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities, eight focus group discussions and two community awareness programmes, among other initiatives.
The meeting also discussed challenges posed by the high prevalence of tobacco use in Nagaland. It was informed that 43.3 percent of adults in the State use tobacco, compared to the national average of 28.6 percent. Wokha, Zunheboto and Tuensang were identified as districts with high tobacco consumption.
The TFYC 4.0 strategy aims to increase campaign coverage by 50 percent through stricter enforcement of COTPA, intensified public awareness, educational outreach and wider dissemination of information across public and private platforms.
