30th January, 2026
A total of three high-impact technical sessions were organized by the Resource Centre for Tobacco Control (RCTC), PGIMER Chandigarh, during the 7th NCTOH to advance evidence-based dialogue and strategic action on tobacco control and endgame pathways in India.
A high-level plenary session titled “Community-Led Innovations in Tobacco Control in India” was organized on 30 January 2026 during the 7th National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH) at AIIMS Raebareli. The session was moderated by Mr. Rajeev Kumar, with welcome remarks by Prof. Sonu Goel. Distinguished speakers included Dr. Rana J. Singh (Vital Strategies), Dr. P. C. Gupta (Healis–Sekhsaria Institute), Dr. Rakesh Gupta (Rajasthan Cancer Foundation), Ms. Susan Samson (Faith Foundation), Dr. Nirmalya Mukherjee (MANT), Ms. Opinder Preet K. Gill (GSA), Dr. Deepak K. Mishra (SEEDS), Mr. Cyril Alexander (MACT), Dr. Amit Yadav (Vital Strategies), Dr. Shantanu Nath (AIIMS Deoghar), and Dr. Ravinder Kumar (SNO, Himachal Pradesh).
The session, attended by over 150 delegates, focused on community-led models including Tobacco-Free Villages, ToFEI implementation, youth engagement, countering tobacco industry interference, digital monitoring, tribal interventions, vendor licensing, and multisectoral NTCP coordination. The discussions emphasized structured community ownership and scalable grassroots innovations to advance India’s tobacco endgame.
