Core Programme Clusters

WHO-Bloomberg Initiative(BI) Collaboration in India

     Advocacy Workshops on Tobacco Control

Technical support provided for GOI- BGI Grant for organizing 5 regional and 1 national advocacy workshops for tobacco control. The objective of these workshops was to sensitize and train over 1000 law enforcers/stakeholders in all 29 states and 6 Union Territories of the country on the need for implementation of tobacco control laws and other measures and WHO FCTC.

National Advocacy Workshop

·         National Advocacy workshop was held in Delhi on 9-10 September, 2008. The workshop was inaugurated by the Union Health Minister, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, and attended by other dignitaries from MOHFW/WHO. Govt. officials from the central and state departments eg. Food and Drugs Authority, Excise, Police, Health, Education, Labour, Transport, Railways, civil society etc. came together, on a common platform, to discuss strategies for effective implementation of tobacco control laws.

Regional Advocacy Workshops

·         The first workshop for the Western Region was held at Tobacco Cessation Centre, Goa on 1-2 August, 2008. Over 100 participants from 6 states viz. Gujarat, Rajasthan, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Maharashtra, Daman & Diu and Goa participated. The workshop was inaugurated by Mr. Viswajeet Rane, Health Minister, Goa along with Dr. R.K. Shrivastava, Director General of Health Services and Dr. V.N. Jindal, Dean, Goa Medical College. The speakers addressed the ceremony and expressed their concern and commitment for tobacco control. Detailed presentations were made by experts on various aspects of tobacco control. This was followed by a panel discussion and brainstorming session with representation from MOHFW, WHO, Collector Daman, Director FDA, Govt. of Goa; and DIG Police, Govt. of Rajasthan and Principal, Police Training College, Jaipur. The discussions generated an extensive list of recommendations from various stakeholders.

·         Technical support provided to the second workshop for the Central Region was held in Bhopal on 5-6 September, 2008. The stakeholders from the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkand participated. The workshop was inaugurated by Ms. Ranjana Choudhary, Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh and several other dignitaries like Sh. B.K. Prasad, Joint Secretary, MOHFW, Govt. of India; Prof. P.K. Joshi, Chairman, Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission; Dr. Dinesh Bhatnagar, Addl. Director General Health Services, Directorate General Health Services and Dr. B. M. Srivastava, Nodal Officer, State Tobacco Control Officer, Madhya Pradesh.

·         The third Regional Advocacy workshopfor the Southern Regionwas organized in Chennai at the Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar. More than 100 key stakeholders from 7 states namely Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands participated in the workshop. Participants included officials from the Department of Health, Police, Youth & Sports, Labour, Education, State Administration, Airport Authority, Doordarshan Kendras, Regional Central Boards of Film Certification (CBFC), Press Information Bureau (PIB); PHFI, Medical Colleges, Human Rights Commission), Indian Dental Association, NSS representatives, civil society and media who came together on a common platform to discuss strategies for effective implementation of tobacco control laws at state level. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. T.G. Sagar, Director, Cancer Institute (WIA) alongngwith Dr. V. Shanta, Chairman, Cancer Institute (WIA) and Dr. Dinesh Bhatnagar, Additional Director General of Health Services, GOI. Dr. Elango, Director, Public Health, Govt. of Tamil Nadu addressed the ceremony and shared the progress made by Tamil Nadu in area of tobacco control with special focus on enforcement of new rules related to prohibition of smoking in public places from 2^nd October, 2008. The focal points from each of the states shared the progress made by their states in implementation of tobacco control laws.

·         The fourth Regional Advocacy Workshop for the Eastern Region was held in Kolkata from 15^th - 16^th December, 2008. Relevant stakeholders like law enforcers, civil society and State Govt. Officials from the states of West Bengal, Assam, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Orissa and Bihar participated.

·         The fifth Regional Advocacy Workshop for the Northern Region was held in Chandigarh in January, 2009. Stakeholders and Officials from the states of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir participated.

   State-level Advocacy Workshops on tobacco control

As the follow-up of the regional advocacy workshops, state-level advocacy workshops for tobacco control are being organized at state level to train the law enforcers and other stakeholders on the need for implementation of tobacco control laws and other measures and WHO FCTC.

Bangalore

A State Level Advocacy Workshop for Karnataka was organized by NIMHANS on 15^th January, 2009. The main objective of the workshop was to sensitize the law enforcement agencies at state/district level on enforcement action plan to implement the rules related to prohibition on smoking in public places and other tobacco control laws. In this workshop, diverse groups from the departments of Agriculture, State Minorities Commission, Health, Transport, Drugs, Police, State Human Rights Commission, Labour, Women & Child Welfare, Medical & Dental Colleges, Nurses, Indian Air Force, Youth Officer (NSS), State/District Administration, health professionals from NIMHANS, media and civil society come together on a common platform to discuss strategies for effective implementation of tobacco control laws at state level. Over 100 participants from various districts of Karnataka viz. Mysore, Gulbarga, Haveri, Dharwad, Bangalore, Shimoga, Devengere, Yelahanka and Chamarajanagar participated in the workshop. The workshop was inaugurated by Mr. M. Madangopal, Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare.

Assam

An advocacy workshop on “Implementation of Tobacco Control Laws” on the 1^st of February - 2009, was organized by State Tobacco Control Cell, Assam in association with National Rural Health Mission, Assam. The main rationale of the workshop was to sensitize the stakeholders regarding implementation and enforcement of the Tobacco Control Act at state/district level. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, Hon’ble Health Minister, Government of Assam.

Kerala

The State level Advocacy Workshop at Kerala was organized by Tobacco Cessation Center, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 15^th January, 2009. The workshop was inaugurated by Sh. Vishwas Mehta, Hon’ble Health Secretary, Kerala and was attended by around 100 participants from various departments at state/district level.

Sikkim

The State level Advocacy Workshop at Sikkim was organized by Department of Health and Family Welfare, Gangtok on 29^th February, 2009. The workshop was attended by around 100 participants from various departments at state/district level.

Advocacy Materials:

·         Anti-tobacco IEC materials developed and disseminated among the different stakeholders.