India among 6 countries conferred with Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control
India is among the six countries that received 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control for prioritizing tobacco cessation approaches to reach a significant number of tobacco users in the country.
The National Tobacco Control Cell of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, was presented with the award at the World Conference on Tobacco Control held in Dublin, Ireland, on Monday.
India was presented the 'O' category award for promoting tobacco cessation. The 'O' is the MPOWER policy package of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that stands for 'Offer help to quit tobacco use.'
The awards celebrated several governments and NGOs making progress to reduce tobacco use. Among the other countries that received the award were Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Philippines and Ukraine.
The WHO Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report, developed with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, was also launched on the occasion.
In India, a whole range of services including tobacco testing labs and mobile cessation measures among others have been set up to reduce tobacco usage in the country. This includes a well established national toll-free quit line, handling around 50,000 calls per month and free cessation support services at primary care facilities and hospitals.
Tobacco cessation services are provided at 675 district hospitals, 302 dental institutions, 361 medical institutions and across 607 non-communicable diseases (NCD) clinics, oral health clinics and community health centres. There are four quit lines at NIMHANS, Vallabhbai Patel Chest Centre, New Delhi, Tata Memorial Centre and Borooah Cancer Institute in Guwahati.
Between 2007 and 2023, the global average smoking prevalence has reduced from 22.3 per cent to 16.4 per cent, a relative reduction of 26 per cent over 16 years. According to the report, the adult daily smoking prevalence in 2023 in India was at 7 per cent. While experts said that smokeless tobacco was a big concern in India, several steps have been taken to address multiple challenges.
'India has been making consistent efforts to help people quit tobacco through the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP). This includes the establishment of tobacco cessation clinics in various locations (including dental and medical facilities), screening and intervention in primary care at the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, establishing Cessation and National Tobacco Quitlines, integrating the NTCP with existing health services and national programmes, enacting legislation, providing training and awareness to healthcare providers, as well as public awareness campaigns,' Dr Pratima Murthy, Director and senior professor of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, who received the award on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told The Indian Express.
'Tobacco free youth campaigns and the TeleManas initiative also represent efforts to address the underlying reasons for initiation of tobacco use. These comprehensive efforts indicate India's commitment to reduce tobacco use and promote public health. It is an absolute honour to receive the award on behalf of the Indian Government,' added Dr Murthy.
Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and injuries, presented the award. 'Since Bloomberg Philanthropies started supporting global tobacco control efforts in2007, there has been a sea change in the way countries prevent tobacco use, but there is still a long way to go,' said Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, the WHO Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report reveals that the most striking gains have been in graphic health warnings, one of the key measures under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), that make the harms of tobacco impossible to ignore.
At the award ceremony, Michael R. Bloomberg also announced a new $20 million Accelerator Fund to help advance progress in countries where tobacco control is stalled. Bloomberg Philanthropies will work with partners to proactively engage governments and NGOs in several low- and middle-income countries that either lack best-practice tobacco control measures or are close to implementing all best-practice measures.
Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition.
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Where India stands Meanwhile, India has banned smoking at all indoor public places, but still allows designated smoking rooms at restaurants/drinking facilities/nightclubs with a seating capacity of 30 or more as well as at airports and hotels. On the ˋW' measure, India has been in the highest group since 2016. Large pictorial warnings (85 per cent) are required on tobacco product packages and India should also consider adopting plain packaging, said Dr Prasad. On the 'E' measure, India has banned direct and indirect tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorships. However, there is no ban on internet sales and India should completely ban advertising of tobacco products at points of sale, the expert urged. The WHO report also warned that action is needed to maintain and accelerate progress in tobacco control as rising industry interference challenges tobacco policies and control efforts. At a press conference, Dr Ruediger Krech, Director of Health Promotion, WHO, said significant strides have been made in protecting people from the harms of tobacco. 'Today, over 6.1 billion people, three -quarters of the global population, are covered by at least one life saving policy. Brazil, Mauritius, The Netherlands and Turkey have implemented the full MPOWER package. Seven more, including Ireland , Ethiopia and Mexico, are just one step away,' said Dr Krech. However, Dr Krech also cautioned about some of the warning signs as 134 countries have failed to make cigarettes less affordable and the spread of e-cigarettes and tobacco products are being aggressively marketed to youngsters. 'We are calling on governments to act boldly and raise taxes to best practice levels,' he urged. Tobacco tax least adopted MPOWER measure in India India has implemented stringent measures to curb tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) across all forms of media, including television, radio, print and digital platforms. To restrict depiction of tobacco use in entertainment media, the Centre introduced the Tobacco-Free Films and Television Rules in 2012, focusing on traditional platforms such as cinema and television. As more people shift towards using digital streaming platforms, India recognized the need to update its tobacco control policies. Coinciding with World No Tobacco Day on May 31, 2023, the government introduced an amendment to the 2012 legislation, extending its coverage to over-the-top streaming platforms. With this move, India became the first country in the world to apply tobacco control regulations specifically to digital streaming content. The WHO report said that India is reinforcing its commitment to public health and positioning itself as a pioneer in adapting regulation to evolving media consumption trends. However, the current national TAPS ban can be further strengthened by prohibiting tobacco advertising at points of sale and fully banning tobacco industry sponsorship. Tobacco tax is the least-adopted MPOWER measure, despite raising tobacco prices continuing to be the most effective and efficient way to reduce tobacco use. In India, cigarettes are still affordable, as per the report. In 2024, only 15 per cent of the world's population living in 40 countries were protected by tax at 75 per cent or more of the price of the most popular brand of cigarette. Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition. ... Read More
