Say No to Tobacco' Pledge and Tobacco-Free Youth Campaign 4.0

GS Paper: GS-II (Health, Government Schemes) | GS-III (Agriculture: Commercial Crops) | Source: PIB (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) / compiled notes

Why in News?

A Union Minister launched the 60-day Tobacco-Free Youth Campaign 4.0 (TFYC 4.0) in New Delhi and administered the 'Say No to Tobacco' pledge to promote tobacco-free campuses, youth awareness and prevention of addiction.

About the Pledge and Campaign

• A public health awareness and behavioural commitment drive under TFYC 4.0 that encourages young people to reject tobacco and nicotine and build tobacco-free communities. Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
• Aim: prevent tobacco initiation, encourage cessation and make youth ambassadors of a Tobacco-Free India, in line with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
• Key features: a youth-led pledge and peer promotion of addiction-free lifestyles; priority for tobacco-free educational campuses (schools, colleges, universities); a 60-day nationwide campaign across States and UTs; stricter enforcement of tobacco control laws, especially those protecting minors; and whole-of-government participation (institutions, health professionals, enforcement agencies, communities) through a six-pronged tobacco control strategy.
• Significance: lowers the risk of nicotine dependence, impaired brain development, cancer and respiratory disease. Earlier campaigns declared over 5.8 lakh educational institutions and 73,000 villages tobacco-free.

Tobacco: Economic and Geographic Context

• Tobacco is a significant commercial crop; India is among the world's leading producers and exporters (the notes call it the second-largest; verify the current rank). It needs a warm, relatively humid climate (20-30°C) and well-drained fertile soils (sandy loams for Flue-Cured Virginia, FCV, tobacco).
• Major producers: Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, followed by Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. It contributes to excise revenue and foreign exchange.
• Tension in policy: the economic and livelihood value of tobacco has to be balanced against its health costs, which is why diversification support for tobacco farmers is also discussed.

Health Impact and Regulatory Framework

• Biology: nicotine is a stimulant alkaloid that makes the adrenal glands release adrenaline and nor-adrenaline, raising blood pressure and heart rate. Smoking raises carbon monoxide in blood, which reduces haemoglobin-bound oxygen and causes oxygen deficiency. It is linked to cancers of the lung, urinary bladder and throat, and to bronchitis, emphysema and coronary heart disease.
• COTPA, 2003: bans smoking in public places and tobacco advertising, and restricts sales near educational institutions.
• WHO FCTC: India is a party; it requires large pictorial health warnings (85% of the pack surface in India).
• PECA, 2019: bans production, import and sale of e-cigarettes to prevent youth nicotine addiction.
• Tobacco Board (Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh): a statutory body regulating production and export of FCV tobacco.

Tobacco Control in India: Quick Facts

• National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP, 2007-08): under MoHFW, covering awareness, enforcement of COTPA, tobacco cessation and training. mCessation and the National Quitline support cessation. The Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) guidelines (2019) set out criteria for tobacco-free schools.
• COTPA key sections: Section 4 (smoking ban in public places), Section 5 (advertising ban), Section 6 (no sale to minors under 18 and none within 100 yards of educational institutions), Section 7 (pack warnings).
• WHO MPOWER measures: Monitor use, Protect from smoke, Offer help to quit, Warn about dangers, Enforce ad bans, Raise taxes. World No Tobacco Day is 31 May. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS-2, 2016-17) found about 28.6% of adults use tobacco; the Global Youth Tobacco Survey tracks students aged 13-15.
• Related: Gutka and pan masala bans by states under FSSAI regulations, taxation (GST plus cess on tobacco products), and e-cigarettes as a new risk to youth.