NEW DELHI: Marking World No Tobacco Day, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, hosted a National Meet in New Delhi to honor the winning schools of the MyGov Innovate Campaign, “Towards a Tobacco-Free Generation: School Challenge 2025”.
Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of DoSEL, presented the awards and commended the winning institutions for cultivating healthy, substance-free educational environments. The national initiative drew widespread engagement, with more than 17,000 schools participating from across the country.
The Three-Year Action Plan (2026–2029)
A major milestone of the event was the official launch of DoSEL’s Three-Year Action Plan (2026–2029) under the Nasha Mukt Bharat initiative. The structural framework is built around four primary enforcement and educational pillars:
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The Nasha Mukt Vidyalaya (NMV) Portal: Launched alongside the action plan, this digital platform (https://tofei.education.gov.in/) will manage school self-declarations, compliance tracking, and monitoring through integration with UDISE+.
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Drug-Free Buffer Zones: The plan mandates the strict enforcement of a 500-meter drug-free perimeter around all educational institutions.
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Curriculum Integration: Age-appropriate substance abuse prevention and health education will be systematically integrated into NCERT, CBSE, and State Board school curricula.
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Multilingual Awareness Materials: The ministry will develop standardized, multilingual Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials tailored for teachers, students, and parents.
The action plan also prioritizes teacher capacity building for the early identification of behavioral changes, mental health support via the Manodarpan national helpline (844 844 0632), and a strict monitoring framework stretching from the school level up to the national level.
Institutional Reach and Policy Context
During his address, Sanjay Kumar highlighted the massive transformative capacity of India’s school network to spark a broader social movement:
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Scale of Influence: With a reach extending to nearly 24.69 crore children, the school system has the unique ability to influence 15 to 20 crore domestic households, making it a critical tool for driving nationwide behavioral change.
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Role of Educators: Kumar emphasized that teachers hold a pivotal responsibility in spotting early behavioral shifts in students to safeguard their mental and emotional well-being.
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Existing Policy Framework: Economic Advisor Ms. A. Srija outlined India’s sustained legislative and fiscal efforts to curb consumption. This includes the foundational COTPA Act of 2003, the 2019 prohibition on electronic cigarettes, the highest tier of GST rates and cesses on tobacco, and the 2024 deployment of the Manual for Implementation of TOFEI Guidelines in Schools.
Felicitation of Participating Schools
The ceremony recognized outstanding institutional contributions across multiple educational tiers:
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Category Winners: A total of 12 schools were felicitated across four distinct categories—Foundational, Preparatory, Middle, and Secondary—with three schools selected from each group.
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Cash Endowments: The top three positions in each category were awarded trophies alongside cash prizes of ₹50,000 (first), ₹25,000 (second), and ₹15,000 (third).
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Commendation Prizes: An additional 41 schools received special appreciation prizes acknowledging their commendable efforts toward maintaining tobacco-free campuses.
