Kishori Lal Bains
Una: Deputy Commissioner Jatin Lal has called for accelerating efforts to make Una a tobacco-free district. Chairing a review meeting on Tuesday to assess the progress of the “Tobacco-Free Youth Campaign 3.0,” he directed all departments to work with coordination and firm commitment.
The meeting reviewed the awareness activities conducted so far under the 60-day campaign that began on 9 October, and discussed the strategy for the coming weeks. The Deputy Commissioner appreciated the Health Department and Panchayati Raj Department for their effective implementation of the campaign and for the awards received at the state level.
He said the district administration is taking the campaign forward as a large-scale public awareness movement to ensure that young people stay away from the harmful effects of tobacco and lead healthy lives. He added that tobacco use is a major cause of premature death and severe illnesses, and its consumption often begins at a young age, making youth awareness a core priority of the initiative.
Calling for tobacco-free villages: The Deputy Commissioner instructed that efforts to declare “tobacco-free villages” in various panchayats be expedited. He said concrete and time-bound action must be taken to declare 30 villages in the district completely tobacco-free.
Vendor licence mandatory for tobacco sales: He directed the Urban Development, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Departments to strictly enforce the “Tobacco Vendor Licensing Rules–2018.” He made it clear that all vendors selling tobacco products must possess a valid licence, which will be issued by the panchayat secretary in rural areas and by urban local bodies in municipal areas.
The DC also directed educational institutions to ensure complete compliance with tobacco-free norms and to make sure that no tobacco products are sold within 100 metres of any school or college. The Police Department was instructed to strictly enforce the provisions of COTPA–2003 and PECA–2019, along with the Himachal Pradesh Tobacco Products Control Act, 2016, and the Prohibition of Open Sale of Cigarettes and Beedis Act, 2016.
Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Bhatia, Chief Medical Officer Dr. S.K. Verma, District Nodal Officer for the Tobacco Control Programme Dr. Ankit Chaudhary, and officials from various departments were present in the meeting.