Raipur: Chhattisgarh declared 4,577 educational institutions tobacco-free in the 2025-26 financial year, pushing the state's total count of compliant schools and colleges to nearly 15,000 under the Centre's campaign, officials said on Friday.
Under the Tobacco-Free Educational Institution (ToFEI) campaign, the state government intensified its anti-tobacco drive by combining awareness programmes with tobacco cessation counselling, treatment, and enforcement of tobacco control laws, they said.
In 2025-26, as many as 70,440 people received counselling to quit tobacco, while 6,563 individuals were provided pharmacotherapy along with counselling, a government release stated.
As many as 4,577 institutions were declared tobacco-free during this period, taking the total to 14,948, it stated.
The state stepped up enforcement of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), issuing 7,783 challans for violations of the ban on smoking in public places and collecting fines totalling Rs 10.97 lakh during the year, it said.
Additionally, 1,088 challans were issued for selling tobacco products to persons below 18 years of age or purchasing tobacco through minors, while 1,187 challans were issued against the sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions, it said.
The Health Department has implemented the campaign in coordination with the police, the Food and Drug Administration, Agriculture, School Education, Higher Education and Technical Education departments.
Training programmes were organised for officials and staff of various departments to strengthen enforcement, the release said.
A total of 84 people attended state-level law enforcement training, while 90 participants were trained under the Tobacco-Free Educational Institution initiative. At the district level, 123 training programmes were organised with the participation of 15,113 officials and personnel, the release said.
To address oral health risks associated with tobacco use, the National Tobacco Control Programme was integrated with the National Oral Health Programme, and 34 dental surgeons were trained to provide services at tobacco cessation centres, it said.
During 2025-26, the Oral Health Programme recorded 8,79,253 outpatient consultations and carried out 3,60,263 dental procedures.
Chhattisgarh has developed an integrated tobacco control model by combining awareness campaigns, cessation services, treatment, tobacco-free educational institutions and strict enforcement of tobacco control laws, strengthening public health efforts in the state, it added.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.