from Rubiya Shaikh
for Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (GA)

Panaji, Jul 26: A brainstorming session on what is necessary to implement tobacco-related laws will be held in the State in the first week of August.

"Under the world health organization (WHO) - Bloomberg global initiative the government of the India is organizing first national as well as regional advocacy  workshop on the various aspects of tobacco control law 2003 including proper monitoring and implementation," Dr Shekhar Salkar, general secretary, National Organization for Tobacco eradication (NOTE), said.

The NOTE is hosting the workshop which will be held in north Goa on Friday August 1 and Saturday August 2.

 "The regional advocacy workshops would help sensitization of the law enforcement agencies, at the national and state level that include police, health authorities, customs and central excise offices, school offices etc or their preparedness and enforcement action plan to implement the Anti-tobacco Law 2003 and Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC)," Salkar said.

This workshop will serve as dissemination of the anti-tobacco policy to the grass root level, he said.

Dr Salkar added that it would also build competences amongst the personnel in the states and broad-base enforcement mechanism or the anti-tobacco provision.

The workshop will cover 100 delegates from five states including Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Daman & Diu and Dadar and Nagar Haveli.

The NOTE has been identified as the focal agency to organize the regional-level workshop in the State

"The expected outcome from the workshop is that, there will be increase in monitoring of anti-tobacco law," Dr Salkar said.

By the end of these sessions nearly 500 key personnel in the state governments and civil society groups would be duly sensitized on the anti-tobacco lanes and its related enforcement strategies, he added.

The NOTE general secretary said that the main objective of the regional-level workshop is sensitization of the law enforcers, preparation of dissemination of the anti-tobacco policy to the grass root level.