Chandigarh : Coinciding with the global observance of World No Tobacco Day, Punjab has scripted a landmark achievement in public health by recording the lowest prevalence of tobacco use across the entire country, according to the newly released National Family Health Survey 2023-24 (NFHS-6) conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
Divulging details, the Health and Family Welfare Minister Punjab Dr Balbir Singh said that this comprehensive nationwide survey establishes Punjab decisively at the top among all Indian States, offering a stellar blueprint for this year’s global anti-tobacco campaign by showcasing a historic low where tobacco use among men aged 15 years and above stands at just 13.9%, which is less than half of the national average of 36.3%. The distinction is even more pronounced among the female population, with tobacco use among women aged 15 and above in Punjab recorded at a mere 0.5%, drastically outperforming the national female average of 8.4%.
This monumental health milestone highlights Punjab’s exemplary performance relative to other major regions in India, reinforcing its national leadership in health governance and lending immense momentum to global smoke-free objectives.
Lauding this historic achievement on this significant global occasion, Dr Balbir Singh stated that this extraordinary milestone is the direct result of sustained, multi-pronged tobacco control frameworks, rigorous legal enforcement, and active community-driven models executed meticulously across the state to protect youth and children from the menace of addiction. Dr Balbir Singh emphasized that the Government of Punjab, under its unwavering commitment to building a healthy and addiction-free state in alignment with World Health Organization (WHO) protocols, has adopted a strict zero-tolerance approach toward tobacco violations, a resolve reflected in the penalization of violators through the aggressive issuance of 22,054 challans under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, during the fiscal year 2025-26 alone.
The Minister further explained that the state’s clinical support framework has been deeply institutionalized to echo global health mandates, with specialized Tobacco Cessation Centres fully operationalized and staffed across all districts of Punjab, offering easily accessible clinical treatment, counseling, and psychological support mechanisms to individuals actively seeking to quit tobacco.
Underscoring the localized IEC (Information education and communication) strategies driving this public health victory, Dr Balbir Singh highlighted that grass-roots community participation has transformed the anti-tobacco campaign into a massive social movement, with more than 800 villages across Punjab officially declaring themselves completely ‘Tobacco-Free’ and acting as vigilant stakeholders in safeguarding their environments.
To secure future generations from early exposure to nicotine and tobacco addiction—a core priority of the World No Tobacco Day mission—the state has achieved near-total coverage in its academic infrastructure, successfully declaring an impressive 98.6% of schools across Punjab as ‘Tobacco-Free’ in strict accordance with the national Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions (ToEFI) guidelines. The Minister remarked that these robust structural interventions were thoroughly validated during the rigorous NFHS-6 fieldwork for Punjab, which spanned from March 1, 2024, to October 1, 2024, and comprised an extensive sample size of 19,616 households, 20,135 women, and 3,160 men.
Reaffirming the state’s vision on this global stage, Dr. Balbir Singh declared that the Government of Punjab will continue to vigorously expand its public awareness campaigns, tighten legislative enforcement, and strengthen community networks to sustain this national distinction and foster an entirely healthy, vibrant, and tobacco-free society.
