The Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad today flagged off a Rally ‘Voice of Tobacco Victims’ in New Delhi on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day. More than 150 volunteers took part in this run orgainised by the Health Fitness Trust and culminated at India Gate via Rajpath. The theme for this year’s World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is “Tobacco Industry Interference”.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that creating awareness about ill effects of tobacco is of vital importance. He said, the Government is trying to combat the menace by stricter laws and people need to make an informed choice for the sake of their health and well being.

Tobacco use is a major preventable cause of premature death and disease worldwide. It is one of the common risk factors for a number of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and accounts for more than two-third of all new cases of NCDs. The World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), observed every year worldwide on 31st May to call attention to the impact of tobacco use on public health and to effectively reduce individual tobacco dependence.
Nearly one million people die in India every year due to tobacco use.