Rohit, a 45-year-old, migrant labourer from Bihar, takes his cancer patient son, Yogesh, to Tata Memorial Hospital for treatment every week. His 24-year-old son is suffering from oral cancer caused from smoking. He had been smoking since he was 12.
Like him, every day, 5,500 youths try tobacco for the first time in India and many of them fall prey to cancer, especially oral cancer. The government has also failed to make a stringent law to prohibit smoking or tobacco consumption among children. To save children, Salaam Mumbai Foundation, an NGO, initiated ‘Tobacco Free Schools’. It is based on the guidelines put forth by the Central Board of Secondary Education and the World Health Organization. Salaam Mumbai foundation works in 30 districts of Maharashtra wherein Salaam Mumbai Foundation supported 13,220 schools to make it tobacco free. In this process, 234 schools have been made tobacco-free. This was revealed in an awareness workshop on Thursday.
“Under Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce Production, Supply and Distributor) Act, 2003, tobacco can’t be sold within 100 metres of a school. But it is still being sold. For better implementation we need stricter rules,” said Tshering Bhutia, general manager, operations of the NGO.
As per Department of Education and Skills report of 2012-2015, only 7,616 (7%) out of 1,03,625 schools have displayed such boards.
“If any trader or shop is found selling tobacco products to minors or within 100 yards of educational institution, the license will be revoked with an immediate action, but the BMC doesn’t have any such data,” she added.
School rules . No smoking or chewing of tobacco inside premises . Display of ‘No Smoking Area- Smoking here is an offence’notice . Posters with information about the harmful effects of tobacco . A copy of COTPA must be available with the principal . No sale of tobacco products within 100 yards from school
