SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Aug 16: Ranchi, Bokaro and Koderma districts were felicitated as the best performing districts of Jharkhand for successfully implementing various activities of the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) in 2021-22 sessions.
While Ranchi district got the award for carrying out overall activities of NTCP including awareness, checking and fine, Bokaro was given the award for making educational institutions in the region tobacco-free. Koderma district got the award for collecting the highest fine from violators for smoking in public places.
Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of Health Arun Kumar Singh felicitated the trio districts at a special function held at Ranchi on the occasion of Independence Day for their outstanding performance in executing NTCP during the session.
Ranchi NTCP consultant Prashant Sinha, Bokaro district consultant Md Aslam and Koderma district consultant Dipesh Kumar received the award from ACS health who praised the efforts of the districts as well as state wing NTCP. In his regime, nine districts of Jharkhand have been declared smoke-free districts.
On the occasion, National Health Mission (NHM) Director Dr Bhubnesh Prasad Singh, Director in-chief of Health Dr Krishna Kumar, State NTCP nodal officer Dr Lalit Ranjan Pathak and state consultant Rajiv Kumar were also present.
State NTCP nodal officer Dr Lalit Ranjan Pathak said that Ranchi is one of the smoke-free districts in the state and it has successfully carried out all activities for enforcing the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003. The District wing successfully conducted raids, launched awareness programmes and booked the violators of the Act.
Bokaro district ensured proper implementation of COTPA Section 6 (b) which says no tobacco products should be sold in an area within 100 yards of the educational institution. Bokaro district NTCP wing had made educational institution area free from tobacco products by conducting raids and imposing fines.
Whereas Koderma district collected the highest fine of Rs 30, 500 by issuing ‘Challan’ to violators of COTPA among 24 districts of the state. As per Section 4, smoking in designated public places is banned. Rs 200 can be fined on the spot by the authority.
“The state government felicitates the best performing districts every year to encourage them and other districts for successful implementation of the program. Due to Covid award was not given in last two years. But now drive has come on track again and best performing districts were given the award,” said Dr Lalit Ranjan Pathak, state NTCP nodal officer.
State NTCP technical support partner Socio-Educational Economic Development Society (SEEDS) executive director Dipak Mishra has highly appreciated the step of the ACS health Arun Kumar Singh and said that it would create competition and districts for implementing the programme.
