Sambalpur University conducts workshop on tobacco control
SAMBALPUR: A workshop on ‘Tobacco Control among Youth in Odisha’ was jointly organised by the Sambalpur University (SU) and Maharashtra-based NGO SBMS on Saturday. Students of SU and 18 colleges affiliated to the university participated in the workshop.
Speaking at the programme, Vice-Chancellor Sanjiv Mittal said tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats facing our society. “The epidemic can only end if we are successful in preventing early tobacco initiation among youths. It is important to design tobacco control programmes with the youths taking the centrestage,” he said.
Dr Om Bera of Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) said India has the second largest number (268 million) tobacco users in the world. Of these, 13 lakh die every year from tobacco-related diseases. Nearly 27 per cent of all cancers in India are due to tobacco usage.
During the workshop, students of the Performing Arts department staged a play on tobacco control. Among others, Dr Satyasai Panda of department of Pathology in VIMSAR, Burla also spoke.