NTCP 2007-08

 National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) 

🔶 Background

• Tobacco is a major risk factor for various non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses, and diabetes.
• India is the second-largest producer and consumer of tobacco globally.
• Around 275 million Indians use tobacco in some form.
• The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003 is the primary law for tobacco control in India.
• In line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC), India launched the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) in 2007–08.

📜 Legal Framework: COTPA, 2003

Key provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003:

1. Ban on Smoking in Public Places (effective 2 Oct 2008).
2. Prohibition of Sale to Minors (under 18 years).
3. Ban on Sale within 100 Yards of Educational Institutions.
4. Mandatory Pictorial and Text Health Warnings on packaging.
5. Ban on Direct/Indirect Advertisements, Promotion, and Sponsorship.
6. Display of Tar and Nicotine Content on product packages.
7. Ban on sale through vending machines and by minors.
8. Restrictions on Point of Sale Advertisements.

🎯 Objectives of NTCP

1. Public Awareness through mass media campaigns.
2. Capacity Building of stakeholders (health workers, NGOs, school teachers, etc.).
3. Establishment of Tobacco Testing Laboratories.
4. Mainstreaming Tobacco Control in National Health Programs (e.g., NRHM).
5. Strengthening Law Enforcement through training and coordination with police and judiciary.
6. Monitoring and Evaluation through national-level surveys (like GATS – Global Adult Tobacco Survey).
7. Promoting Alternative Livelihoods for tobacco farmers.

🛠️ Key Components of NTCP

Level	Activities
National Level	Policy formulation, technical assistance, training, IEC material development.
State Level	State Tobacco Control Cells (STCCs), coordination, supervision.
District Level	District Tobacco Control Cells (DTCCs), IEC activities, enforcement.

📍 Implementation Phases

• Pilot Phase (2007–08): 42 districts in 21 states/UTs.
• Expanded Phase (12th Five Year Plan): All states and over 600 districts covered.
• NTCP is implemented under the National Health Mission (NHM).

🧪 Tobacco Testing Laboratories

• Purpose: Measure nicotine, tar, and other harmful contents.
• These labs help in enforcing COTPA standards.

🏥 Integration with Healthcare

• Primary Health Care settings encouraged to assess tobacco use in all patients.
• Offer tobacco cessation advice and referral.
• Dedicated cessation clinics established in many states.

🧾 Achievements of NTCP

• Development and distribution of Operational Guidelines for NTCP.
• Training of healthcare providers, police, and judiciary.
• Pictorial warning implementation across tobacco products.
• National Media Campaigns on anti-tobacco awareness.
• Enactment of Food Safety Regulations, 2011 banning gutkha and pan masala with tobacco/nicotine.

⚠️ Diseases Caused by Tobacco

Disease Category	Conditions
Cardiovascular	Heart attack, stroke
Respiratory	Asthma, COPD, TB
Cancer	Oral, lung, throat, esophagus
Reproductive	Infertility, erectile dysfunction, birth defects, fetal death
Metabolic & Others	Type-II diabetes, dementia, immune suppression, vision loss

🌎 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) – India

• Monitors adult tobacco use.
• Tracks key tobacco control indicators.
• Nationally representative, following WHO protocol.
• Conducted in 2009–10 (GATS 1) and 2016–17 (GATS 2).

🛑 Second-hand & Third-hand Smoke

• Second-hand Smoke (SHS): Smoke exhaled by user or from burning tobacco.
• Third-hand Smoke (THS): Residue that clings to surfaces even after smoke clears — potential health hazard.

🤝 Collaborating Bodies

• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)
• State/UT Health Departments
• NGOs, Academic Institutions, WHO, HRIDAY, etc.
• Coordination with Ministry of Education, Transport, Agriculture, and others.

📘 NTCP Guidelines and Documents

• Operational Guidelines for NTCP
• Guidelines for Law Enforcers, 2013
• IEC and Training Modules
• Guidelines for Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions

Reference 

Malviya K, Sahoo S, Dasadiya D, Acharya V. Social and Preventive Pharmacy. 1st ed. Pee Vee (Regd.); 2021