Bangalore: With tobacco-related diseases snuffing out many lives across the world, countries around the globe are focussing on the need to prevent and control tobacco use.

Following a call from the World Health Organisation to promote smoke-free environments, the Union Government has initiated a pilot project this year for prevention and control of smoking and tobacco use. Karnataka is one of the States chosen for implementation of this programme.

Incidentally, World No Tobacco Day is being observed on May 31.

As a pilot, the project will be implemented in two districts — Bangalore and Gulbarga — and the Bangalore Medical College and the District Hospital, Gulbarga, will be involved in the initiative.

According to a senior official in the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare Services is funding the setting up of an "Anti-Tobacco Cell" in the State to carry out tobacco-free initiatives and to implement laws to control smoking and the use and sale of tobacco products. The other States involved in the project include Goa, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Assam.

Activities

"The activities of the anti-tobacco cell and the two district centres for tobacco control will include tobacco cessation programme, training for various groups, awareness programmes for the general public, anti-tobacco initiatives in schools and monitoring the implementation of laws related to tobacco control including ban on smoking in public places and sale of tobacco products in designated areas in the two districts. Eventually we plan to extend the programme to other districts through State Government support," the official told The Hindu .

He added that even though the State has had an anti-tobacco cell since the last three years not much had been done to promote smoke-free environments.

The Centre has given funds of about Rs.15 lakh to Karnataka for implementing the project.

The official said that the State Government also planned to send a proposal for funding an anti-tobacco programme under the Bloomberg Initiative for Tobacco Control. "But this can be done only through support from voluntary organisations," he said.

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has initiated this $125 million programme, through which grants will be awarded to support projects to develop and deliver high-impact tobacco control interventions. The Bloomberg initiative focuses mostly on 15 high burden countries — Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam, where two-thirds of the world's smokers live.

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