Haryana has recorded remarkable achievements under the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) during the first two quarters of the financial year 2025–26, reinforcing its commitment to creating a tobacco-free society through effective enforcement, awareness generation, cessation services and community participation.
India is home to nearly 270 million tobacco users and accounts for roughly one-fifth of all tobacco-related deaths worldwide.
The Tobacco Board has urged the Union government to reconsider the recent hike in excise duties on cigarettes, warning that the move could sharply increase illicit trade and severely impact millions of tobacco farmers, workers, and small retailers across the country.
The ban will also apply to visitors entering the Maldives, a South Asian country popular for luxury tourism and home to 1,191 small coral islets.
Tobacco consumption is a significant public health challenge in India, claiming over 13 lakh lives annually.
Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, on Tuesday informed members of the Upper House about a notable decline in tobacco use among women and school-going children aged 13 to 15 years.
With a view to put an end to the substance abuse amongst students and youth, the Ministry of Education has launched a nationwide enforcement drive.
The Centre has decided to renew the Certificate of Registration for Virginia tobacco growers and the license for operation of a barn for 3 years instead of a year as at present in order to reduce the burden of mandatory yearly renewal for over 83,000 tobacco farmers in the country, the Commerce and Industry Ministry announced on Tuesday.
The Health Ministry on Tuesday said it is actively working to reduce the tobacco use among the youth with 'Tobacco Free Youth Campaign' being held every year, in a bid to create mass awareness at the grassroot level.
India's tobacco exports surpassed Rs.12005.89 crore during 2023-24. Tobacco farmers' income has also doubled over the last five years, the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday.
