Tobacco users harangued in Nagaland

A village in India’s Nagaland state has been declared the country’s first “tobacco-free village,” according to a story in the Hindustan Times.

The declaration was made by principal secretary R Benchilo Thong on Saturday at the Gariphema village hall.

Tobacco-free status came about as the result of an initiative by the Gariphema village council, Village Vision Cell and Village Students’ Union, Thong said.

A resolution had been adopted by the village that those found to be selling alcohol and tobacco or those who became drunk and disturbed the peace would be hit with a fine of INR1,000. Additionally, it was decided, those found to be consuming alcohol, bidis, paan masala, betel nut or smokeless tobacco on the street and other public places would be fined INR500.

Thong said Gariphema had shown a great example not only to villages in Nagaland but also to other regions of the country.

He urged the villagers strictly to follow the declaration.

At the declaration, the deputy director of the National Tobacco Control Programme, MC Longai, said that tobacco was consumed by 67.9 percent of men and 28.1 percent of women in Nagaland.