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Smoke-free Gujarat project enters 3rd phase

To protect people from the harms of Second Hand Smoke (SHS) and to protect children from using tobacco, in October 2008 the Central government implemented Tobacco Control Act.

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Think twice before smoking at a public place in the smoke-free Gujarat's Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar districts, as the State Tobacco Control Cell (STCC) is gearing up with a task force to begin random checks at public places starting this month.

To protect people from the harms of Second Hand Smoke (SHS) and to protect children from using tobacco, in October 2008 the Central government implemented Tobacco Control Act (COTPA 2003), prohibiting smoking in public places. And in 2009, the state government launched the smoke-free Gujarat project, which is supported by Bloomberg Global Initiative, USA, with technical support from

The Union and World Lung Foundation (WLF). This pilot project is led by STCC, and the partners are Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute, Government Dental College, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), and Gandhinagar
Jilla Panchayat.

Dr Bhavesh Modi, project manager for STCC, said, "Smoke-free district project has now reached to its third and final phase of strict implementation in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. We are setting up a new task force comprising four members - a high-level police officer, one health officer, an education officer and a member from a vigilant NGO.

This anti-tobacco squad would start conducting random checks at districts' public places to ensure that spot-officers efficiently implement the no-smoking warning in the areas assigned to them."

Dr Paresh Dave, additional director, Public Health, Gandhinagar, and project director for Smoke-Free District said, "We are committed to gift a Smoke Free District to the citizens of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, and strong civil society support is a prerequisite for effective implementation."

In India 10 lakh deaths occur every year due to consumption of
tobacco. The death toll is projected to reach more than 8 million by the end of the century if current trend continuous. According to National Family Health Survey (2005-06) 57% male and 11% female in India use tobacco in various forms.

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