Context

The World Health Organization (WHO) has selected the Rajasthan government’s Medical & Health Department, only government body in the country which will be awarded for its tobacco-free initiatives.

About

• The department’s Additional Chief Secretary, Rohit Kumar Singh, received the award on World No Tobacco Day in New Delhi.
• The Medical & Health Department launched several campaigns against tobacco consumption at places such as schools, colleges, police stations and government offices during 2018-19.
• As part of the tobacco-free initiatives, 1.13 crore people took a pledge against tobacco consumption at the events held in 1.56 lakh government institutions on January 30 this year, marking Martyrs’ Day.

World No Tobacco Day

• Every year, on 31 May, WHO and global partners celebrate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). The annual campaign is an opportunity to raise awareness on the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure, and to discourage the use of tobacco in any form.
• The focus of World No Tobacco Day 2019 is on "tobacco and lung health". The campaign will increase awareness on:
• The negative impact that tobacco has on people’s lung health, from cancer to chronic respiratory disease,
• The fundamental role lungs play for the health and well-being of all people.

WHO

• WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group.
• WHO has selected five organisations from the South-East Asian region for this prestigious award. Three other organisations in the South-East Asian region have been selected from Thailand and Indonesia, while the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, New Delhi, is also among the recipients of the award.

 Way Ahead

• As State government got international recognition so it would keep striving to accomplish the goal of a “healthy Rajasthan”.