BHUBANESWAR: The red tobacco stains and streaks of spit on the walls of Lok Seva Bhawan (state secretariat) could soon be a thing of the past with the government cracking down on smoking, tobacco consumption and spitting on its premises.
The government has declared the Lok Seva Bhawan and its premises a ‘tobacco-free zone’, imposing a total ban on smoking, tobacco consumption and spitting tobacco products within the complex.
Issuing a notification on Thursday, the Health and Family Welfare department said the move was aimed at protecting employees and visitors from the harmful effects of tobacco use and creating a clean and healthy workplace.
The notification said tobacco consumption is a major cause of several non-communicable diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory ailments. It cited an estimated 1.3 million tobacco-related deaths in India every year.
Health and Family Welfare minister Mukesh Mahaling said the initiative was intended to strengthen the objectives of the Swachh Bharat, Swasth Bharat and Nasha Mukt Bharat campaigns and make Lok Seva Bhawan a clean, healthy and tobacco-free workplace.
“Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, efforts to strengthen the campaign against tobacco consumption are being intensified,” Mahaling said and added that the government will continue its efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle among the younger generation and encourage complete abstinence from tobacco.
Beyond the health risks, the move also marks an effort to bring cleanliness at the state’s administrative headquarters into focus. With hundreds of employees and visitors passing through the corridors every day, keeping the premises clean is important not only for hygiene but also setting standards for public spaces.
Under the new notification, violations will be treated as punishable offences under the applicable law.
