Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav has launched the fourth edition of the Tobacco-Free Youth Campaign (TFYC 4.0), calling on young people to lead a nationwide movement against tobacco consumption and nicotine addiction.

Launched at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, the 60-day campaign will run from October 28 to December 26, 2026. Led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the initiative aims to prevent tobacco use among young people, encourage cessation, strengthen enforcement of tobacco-control laws and promote tobacco-free environments.

The campaign builds on the achievements of its previous three editions, during which more than 5.8 lakh educational institutions and 73,000 villages were declared tobacco-free. The fourth edition places particular emphasis on universities and colleges, encouraging tobacco-free campuses, student-led awareness programmes and greater participation by faculty members.

According to the Health Ministry, the first edition in 2023 saw more than 1.42 lakh educational institutions and 12,000 villages declared tobacco-free. In 2024, the second edition covered 1,67,762 educational institutions and 27,534 villages. The third edition, launched in 2025, recorded 2,57,807 tobacco-free educational institutions and 33,850 villages.

The third edition also involved more than 58,000 enforcement drives, resulting in 1,45,477 challans under Section 4 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, which prohibits smoking in public places. More than 60,000 enforcement personnel and tobacco-cessation counsellors were trained during that phase.

TFYC 4.0 will follow a six-pronged strategy covering public awareness, tobacco-free educational institutions, tobacco-free villages, enforcement of tobacco-control laws, social media outreach, and engagement with universities and colleges. The campaign will promote compliance with the Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions guidelines and strengthen enforcement of COTPA, 2003, and the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019.

Jadhav highlighted the health risks associated with tobacco use, noting that tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including toxic and cancer-causing substances. He also cautioned that nicotine exposure during adolescence can adversely affect brain development, attention, memory and learning abilities.

Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava stressed that coordinated action by government departments, educational institutions and communities would be essential to protecting young people from addiction. The campaign will involve central ministries, state governments, Union Territories, local administrations, healthcare professionals and civil society organisations.

The initiative seeks to move tobacco prevention beyond government programmes and build sustained public participation, with young people acting as ambassadors for healthier lifestyles and tobacco-free communities.