Dikhyaa Mohanty 
With respect to the drive for tobacco-free villages, Odisha has taken the lead nationally. Under the Tobacco Free Youth Campaign 2023, the Abhiyan was introduced. July and August were the two months that the campaign ran. The State has received recognition for the initiative from the Indian government. Village-level initiatives are being launched to raise awareness of the tobacco-free village. The Public Health Director, Dr. Niranjan Mishra, stated, “The Center has recognized our initiative and awarded us for the reason.”
The nation’s first state to launch a drive for tobacco-free villages is Odisha. In order to execute the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 (COTPA 2003) through sarpanch in villages, the health department wrote a letter to the Panchayati Raj department.
54 panchayats have been designated as tobacco-free as of yet. In the State, 114 more gram panchayats are participating in the campaign. Across the state, the push to ban tobacco in schools is succeeding.
