The Ministry of Education has launched a nationwide enforcement drive to make all educational institutions tobacco and substance-free. The move follows the 8th meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD), chaired by Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL).
The campaign begins on May 31 (World No Tobacco Day) and continues till June 26 (International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking).
India, home to one of the world’s largest youth populations, is seeing a worrying rise in tobacco use—5,500 children reportedly take up tobacco every day, as per recent data.
To tackle this, schools and colleges are now required to follow the Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) Guidelines, which outline nine key measures including:
- Displaying clear no-tobacco signage
- Conducting awareness drives
- Enforcing a 100-yard no-sale zone for tobacco products
Local authorities have been directed to mark these zones and strictly prohibit tobacco sales within them. States are also advised to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for monitoring and reporting violations.
To boost public participation, the Ministry has launched the World No Tobacco Day Quiz 2025 on the MyGov platform, aiming to raise awareness on the dangers of tobacco among students and citizens alike.
The campaign emphasises community involvement, strict enforcement, and inter-departmental coordination to ensure safe, substance-free learning environments across India.
