ADC (HQ) chairs meeting for DLCC on Implementation of ToFEI

Namchi, December 5 (IPR): A meeting for the District Level Coordination Committee on Implementation of Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions (ToFEl) under the National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP) was held at District Administrative Centre, today.
The meeting was presided by Mr Subash Ghimirey ADC (HQ), Namchi.
Present during the meeting were Dr SN Adhikari CMO Namchi, Mr Nim Pintso Bhutia SDM (HQ), Dr Urgen Sherpa DNO, Dr Sunita Thapa District Nodal Officer (Tobacco), Mr Rajiv Rai MEO Namchi, Mr GP Sharma Joint Director Education, Mr Upendra Rai BDO, Namchi, Mr Keshab Subba Additional Commissioner Jorethang, alongwith the officials from line departments.
Mr Subash Ghimirey ADC (HQ), inquired about District Level Consultative Committee (DLCC) and also communicated that besides the educational and health centres there exist very few Tobacco Consumption awareness advertisements.
Furthermore, he discussed the effective supervision of consumption and delivering different awareness programmes at the GPU levels.
Moreover, he informed that restaurant owners would face fines and other penalties if students are found violating rules, particularly related to smoking and tobacco use. He emphasized the need for better monitoring and increased awareness in block areas to ensure adherence to regulations.
In addition, he proposed requesting the shopkeepers to demand the declarations of not selling Tobacco to the underage students and prohibiting open smoking near their shop. He stressed the importance of adhering to the rules diligently, stating that initially it may be challenging but gradually it will transform into a habit.
Dr SN Adhikari CMO Namchi, in his address emphasized the importance of establishing the District Level Consultative Committee (DLCC) at Block and GPU levels, and also outlined the critical roles and functions of the DLCC, stressing the need to further empower these committees to increase their impact.
Dr Urgen Sherpa DNO, in his speech indicated that the prohibition of smoking in and around the educational institution areas not only pertains to the schools and colleges but also encompasses the computer centers, tutoring centers and any institutions that would provide knowledge and education, which would assist in reducing the accessibility of cigarettes consumption for the smokers.
Furthermore, he proposed that the initial trial of recognizing the schools which would be designated as tobacco free zones would serve as an excellent model for the other schools in the District.
In addition, he mentioned the requirement of installing a 3 ft no Tobacco Board with the Radium lights reflections at the entrance of the school gate at 17 schools and 3 colleges within the District.
Dr Sunita Thapa Nodal Officer (Tobacco), presented the presentation on the NTCP where she discussed the main risk factors of the tobacco.
The presentation included various topics regarding the NTCP which included the Global Youth Tobacco Survey of India and Sikkim, Global Adult Tobacco Survey of India and Sikkim, Tobacco Prevalence, Step by Step Guidelines for implementing Section,
She also discussed that Sikkim was the first state in India in 2010 which was declared as Tobacco free in public spaces, due to which the consumption of tobacco uses were decreased but despite the decrease in consumption, the usage of tobacco has increased among the underage youth.
To solve the issue the Tobacco Free Youth Campaigns (TFYC) was launched on May 31st 2023, with a 60 days campaign with four strategies, following the TFYC 2.0 was also launched on September 24th 2024 with a 60 days campaign with five strategies.
Further, she also discussed the ToFEI Objectives and Step by Step ToFEI Guidelines which involved the display of “Tobacco Free Educational Institution” and “Tobacco Free Arena” signage on their premises and outside the Educational Institute.
Also a list of Block Wise School and Government Colleges under Namchi District nominated for Implementation of ToFEI were discussed.
Additionally, she also reviewed about the Enforcement of COTPA 2003 and PECA 2019, Timleline for the DLCC implementation phase for ToFEI, and the Activities to be conducted under DLCC NTCP for the year 2024-25.
Mr Upendra Rai BDO Namchi suggested to pass a law on the banning of underage tobacco usage and openly selling of tobacco at Gram Sabha level inorder to take strict measures against it