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Home :: TOBACCO FREE KOTTAYAM
	Kottayam one of the largest district of India which is having 28 lakhs of population always in the limelight of social developments and in the present achievement in the tobacco control added gems to the crown. Educational institutions, Hospitals, Cultural groups, Religious organizations, Political leadership, corporate groups and media all were reached to the same thought ie throw away tobacco products from the district .The study conducted by Kerala VHS and District Administration shows the trend of growth in the tobacco use. More over the cry of parents on there children’s health, laming news about the oral cancer and increased knowledge about the dangers of second hand smoke ensure civil society support to the anti tobacco movement. Media the opinion building institution played there role well and set the target in advance. The six hundred and sixty eight news within one year in different print and visual media about “Tobacco Free Kottayam” make the path clear. The free flow of input from national level resource center at VHAI to resource center at Kottayam empowers the efforts from all levels. The above all set the environment for the goal.
Near about one year before Kottayam District Administration with the technical support of District Medical office and Kerala VHS, a state chapter of VHAI New Delhi set the aim of “tobacco free district”.The Kottayam District Medical Office put it as their mission and the district administration support the mission. Dr. Sharmila Mary Joseph IAS who was the collector that time give excellent leadership in the beginning and thereafter the present collector Mr.P.Venugopal keep the lamp lighting and issued almost all orders and proceedings regarding the implementation of tobacco control. Various departments of government ie police to education was well coordinated under his leadership. The technical input Kerala VHS received from “The Union”, VHAI, American Cancer Society, AFTC, Tobacco free Kids etc. chanalized perfectly to the grass root level. This initiated anti tobacco movements in 76 villages and four municipalities of the district. Several pilot campaigns conducted in different settings like bars, restaurants, hotels, cinema theatre, public and private vehicles, transport terminals, parking areas, commercial centers, public offices etc. Simultaneously workshops and discussion sessions were planned for officials, trade union leadership, media personals, trade association leadership, teachers, college students, community leaders etc. All these discussion sessions lead to the declaration of several smoke free or Tobacco Free Zones in the different parts of the district. These zones and actions build up public opinion for tobacco free district. Vigilance groups were formed in one thousand three hundred and fifty schools, 76 villages and four municipalities. This marginally reduces the tobacco use in the district. Kerala VHS conducted training sessions to police personals of 32 police stations of the district and well net work the volunteers to these police stations.
This increases the number of reported violations and created new ways and means for reporting. This pointed towards the need of strengthening the enforcement. Help lines, village level task forces, rapid response group in police stations, issuing of challan etc. were initiated to meet the evolving needs.
The above all initiatives, developments and movements helped the Government to declare the district as “tobacco free” to widen the scope of enforcement through well defined administrative proceedings.

"On 27th September 2008 the government officially declared Kottayam as the first tobacco free district in India."

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