The Government will launch the Tobacco Free Youth Campaign 3.0 (TFYC 3.0) on Thursday, reaffirming its commitment to building a tobacco-free learning environment and protecting the health and well-being of students across the country.
The campaign has been jointly initiated by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. It marks a major step towards realizing the Government’s vision of a tobacco-free generation.
Tobacco use remains a serious public health challenge in India, claiming over 13 lakh lives annually. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-2019) revealed that 8.4% of students aged 13–15 years currently use tobacco products, with the average age of initiation being just 10 years. Recognizing this vulnerability, the Government is adopting a whole-of-government approach to strengthen awareness, prevention, and enforcement measures.
The 60-day national campaign aims to educate and empower young people to prevent tobacco use, support those who wish to quit, and foster a culture of health and wellness in schools and higher education institutions. States and Union Territories have been urged to strengthen the implementation of the Guidelines for Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) and actively engage youth in awareness initiatives under TFYC 3.0.
Key activities under the campaign include enforcement drives to keep educational campuses tobacco-free, capacity-building workshops for school heads, NSS/NCC volunteers, and teachers, and counselling sessions for students who wish to quit tobacco. Community campaigns will also highlight the importance of maintaining 100-yard tobacco-free zones around schools, colleges, universities, and vocational training centres.
The campaign further includes competitions for innovative awareness activities, recognition of ToFEI-compliant institutions, dissemination of educational videos, and student engagement through initiatives such as the World No Tobacco Day Quiz and the ‘School Challenge: Towards a Tobacco-Free Generation’ on the MyGov.in platform.
Promoting a tobacco-free lifestyle among youth aligns with the Government’s vision of Viksit Bharat@2047. A healthy, well-informed, and empowered young population is seen as crucial to India’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. Through this initiative, the Government aims to nurture a generation that is academically strong as well as physically and mentally healthy—ready to lead the country towards a prosperous future.
