Dimapur, October 9 (MExN): Holy Cross Hr Sec School (HCHSS) observed ‘Anti-Tobacco Day’ at its campus with the theme ‘Say No to Tobacco’ on October 6.
Dr. C. Tetseo, Nodal Officer, National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) was the chief guest. Stating that tobacco is a legal product that kills, he pointed out that the prevalence rate of tobacco consumption in Nagaland is an alarming 57%, which is many times more than Goa which stands at 9%. People in Nagaland, he opined, is not serious about the reality as they think it is not going to harm them, forgetting that tobacco is a silent killer.
He said on an average, tobacco consumption reduces 15 years of life and kills more than 6.5 million people every year and the industry is constantly looking for new customers who often are children and teenagers.
He cautioned the children about the intake of mouth fresheners like Rajnigandha and Talab as this would lead them ultimately to tobacco consumption. He also made the children aware of NTCP’s new initiative ‘Smoke free Dimapur’, which aims to discourage public smoking and urged the students to participate in it and asked people to refrain smoking in public places in the city.
The students also put up a skit on the occasion to depict the ill effects of tobacco consumption that leads to death and ruining of relations.
