World No Tobacco Day: PGI's Resource Centre for Tobacco Control awarded

Chandigarh, June 8

Recognising its efforts in advancing tobacco control and strengthening National Tobacco Control Programme in India, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has awarded the Resource Centre for Tobacco Control (e-RCTC) established under the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGI, Chandigarh, with the Regional Director Special Recognition Award on World No Tobacco Day – 2022.

The e-RCTC is an excellent one-point reference point that collates all relevant information related to tobacco control in India, policies and legislations, multidisciplinary publications, revealed Dr Sonu Goel, Director, RCTC, and Professor in the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health at the PGI.

The Resource Centre for Tobacco Control, a joint initiative of the PGI and the UNION-SEA, was conceptualised in 2018 in a national consultation by almost 25 organisations working in tobacco control in India in the presence of the then Health Secretary, Government of India.

Over a period of more than 3 years, e-RCTC has become increasingly engaged in systematically organising technical resource material for capacity building of programme implementers, academia and researchers, said Dr Goel.

e-RCTC is a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, where, on one hand, one can access all updates on tobacco control activities in the country and on the other, it serves as a focal point for a broad range of research, education and public service activities regarding tobacco control, said Dr L Swasticharan, Additional Deputy Director General, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.