03/06/2026
Hon'ble Minister Sakeena Masood Itoo Flags Off Walkathon on World No To***co Day 2026
Srinagar, June 03: On the occasion of World No To***co Day 2026, Hon'ble Minister for Health & Medical Education, School Education, Higher Education and Social Welfare, Ms. Sakeena Masood Itoo, flagged off a Walkathon/Rally from The LaLiT Grand Palace to Nehru Park, Srinagar. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from students, government officers, officials, healthcare professionals, and members of the public.
A Signature Campaign was also organized during the event, where participants pledged their commitment towards a to***co-free society and expressed support for to***co control initiatives.
Addressing the gathering, the Minister urged citizens, particularly young people, to stay away from to***co and ni****ne products. Referring to this year's theme, “Unmasking the Appeal – Countering Ni****ne and To***co Addiction,” she emphasized the need to protect youth from misleading marketing tactics and the harmful effects of to***co and ni****ne products.
The Minister appreciated the encouraging decline in to***co use in Jammu & Kashmir, noting that to***co use among men declined by 8.4 percentage points from NFHS-5 to NFHS-6. She also highlighted the significant progress achieved under the To***co-Free Educational Institutions (TOFEI) initiative, which has strengthened awareness and to***co control measures across educational institutions in the Union Territory.
Calling for collective action, the Minister urged parents, teachers, healthcare professionals, and community leaders to work together in creating a healthier and to***co-free Jammu & Kashmir.
The programme was organized by the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, under the National To***co Control Programme (NTCP) as part of the observance of World No To***co Day 2026.
