The Centre for Public Health Law at National Law University, Tripura, in association with VHA Tripura and with the technical support of STCC and DTCC, Tripura organized a state level workshop on the “Adoption and Implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) Article 5.3 Policy Guidelines in Tripura” on Friday.

The workshop was inaugurated by Smt. Jayanti Debbarma, Chairperson of Tripura State Commission for Protection of Child Rights as Chief Guest, who emphasized the importance of safeguarding public health policies from the influence of the tobacco industry. The Keynote address was delivered by Kiran Gitte, Secretary of Health & Family Welfare department of Tripura, who provided insights into the efforts made by the government of Tripura to improve public health concerns. The Secretary assured that the government of Tripura will surely adopt Article 5.3 Policy at the earliest. Earlier while welcoming guests, Prof. Yogesh Pratap Singh, Vice-Chancellor, NLU Tripura mentioned the global and national efforts to implement Article 5.3 of the WHO-FCTC. He also brought to the notice of the learned Secretary that 22 States in India including six north-eastern states have already adopted Article 5.3 policy for the state and state of Tripura will be lagging behind considering the fact that prevalence of tobacco in Tripura is very high. Dr. Sreelekha Ray, President, VHAT shared their opinion on adoption and implementation of Article 5.3 in the State.

This workshop marks a significant step forward in the state's commitment for strengthening public health policies and protecting the health of its citizens. Inaugural session was followed by two technical sessions on ‘Development and Implementation of Article 5.3 Guidelines and Tobacco Industry Interface (TII) Monitoring Tool and Mechanism-Global and Local Best Practices.” Delegates from STCC and DTCC under NHM Tripura, other departments of the state government, faculty and students of NLU Tripura participated in the workshop. Prof. Nachiketa Mittal, Registrar, NLU Tripura coordinated the event and delivered the vote of thanks.