India launched the fourth edition of the Tobacco-Free Youth Campaign (TFYC 4.0) on 28 October 2026. The nationwide campaign is scheduled to run for 60 days, until 26 December 2026. Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav launched it in New Delhi at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
Campaign Framework
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare organises TFYC 4.0 in collaboration with MY Bharat and the Ministry of Education. Universities and colleges are a major focus of this edition, with students encouraged to participate in tobacco-prevention activities and institutions asked to strengthen tobacco-free campus practices. The campaign uses a six-pronged strategy: public awareness; tobacco-free educational institutions; tobacco-free villages; enforcement of tobacco-control laws; social media engagement; and participation by universities and colleges. Its activities include efforts to involve young people in prevention and to promote tobacco-free practices in educational settings and villages.
Tobacco-Control Laws
The campaign includes enforcement of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, commonly called COTPA. COTPA regulates tobacco advertising and trade, prohibits smoking in specified public places, and restricts the sale of tobacco products to people under 18 and within 100 yards of educational institutions. The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, 2019, or PECA, prohibits the production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of electronic cigarettes in India. Electronic cigarettes include devices that heat a substance to create vapour for inhalation, whether or not the substance contains nicotine.
Earlier Outcomes and State Activities
Previous editions resulted in more than 5.8 lakh educational institutions and over 73,000 villages being declared tobacco-free. Nagaland launched its state-level TFYC 4.0 on 28 October 2026, with activities planned across its districts.
Important Facts for Exams
:
- COTPA was enacted in 2003 to regulate tobacco products and restrict their advertising and trade.
- The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act was enacted in 2019.
- Under COTPA, tobacco-product sales are prohibited within 100 yards of educational institutions.
- TFYC 4.0 runs from 28 October to 26 December 2026.
The campaign is a nationwide initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, conducted with MY Bharat and the Ministry of Education.
