DHSK, DSEK take lead

The youngsters falling prey to tobacco is a grave concern and the people cannot run away from their responsibility in bringing down the number of youth who have got addicted to tobacco. To address the serious concern, the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir and the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) have joined hands to make educational institutions tobacco free across Kashmir. Educational institutions are one among the main platforms where the issue can be tackled easily as the young students have to be made aware about the consequences of the use of tobacco. The DHSK and DSEK have deliberated on the issue and chalked out strategies to control the use of tobacco by school going children. For this, the DSEK has asked the Chief Education Officers (CEOs) to conduct regular inspections of the schools to ensure that there is no use of tobacco products in the schools. Instructions have been also passed to ensure that no shopkeeper is allowed to sell the tobacco products within the vicinity of the schools. It has come to the fore that the heads of the institutions have been authorised to impose a fine from shopkeepers selling tobacco within 100 yards of the educational institution. Such a step is quite appreciative as it would help in curbing the use of tobacco products by the youngsters. There is a need to take some more measures in this regard so that the issue is put to an end and the youth are saved from taking the path for which creating awareness is also pivotal.