Balwant Garg Faridkot, September 21 With the Centre banning the production, import, export, sale (including online), distribution or advertisement and storage of e-cigarettes, the School Education Department has directed all school heads to keep a check on tobacco substitutes such as e-cigarettes and devices such as heat-not-burn products, vape, e-shisha, e-nicotine flavoured hookah cigars, pipes, and USB flash drives, which sleek high-tech design with re-chargeable batteries, so that students can’t use these products for nicotine. These products are being marketed as a safer alternative of conventional cigarettes. In a letter to all district education officers (DEOs), the Director General School Education (DGSE) has directed all schools in the state to display ‘Tobacco Free Educational Institution’ signage at prominent places outside and on the premises, including the boundary wall and main entrance. Every school has been asked to appoint a tobacco monitor for successful implementation of ‘no use of tobacco’. “The tobacco monitors could be a teacher or a student of Class IX or above. The name, designation and phone number of the tobacco Monitor should be mentioned on the signage. Participation of students of secondary school (Class IX to XII) is most important in this campaign for successful implementation of the No Tobacco initiative. The no tobacco user should be designated as tobacco monitors,” the DGSE said. The management of the institutions or the authorities need to make sure that no tobacco products are sold inside the premises and in an area within in 100 yards from it, the letter reads. Besides taking punitive action against the violation, the head of the institution is also authorised to collect the fine for violation of Section 6 (b) of the COTPA for selling tobacco products within 100 yards of an educational institution.

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