Mizoram leads North East figures
Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 9
Only 71 individuals in Nagaland have successfully quit tobacco use between 2020 and 2025, according to data presented in the Lok Sabha on August 8 by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW).
The figures form part of the Government of India’s progress report under the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017 and the WHO Global Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) framework, both of which aim for a 30% relative reduction in tobacco use among adults (aged 15 years and above) by 2025. The NHP also set an interim target of 15% reduction by 2020.
Within the North East, Mizoram reported the highest number of individuals quitting tobacco during the five-year period, at 34,477. It was followed by Assam (5,444), Arunachal Pradesh (284), Tripura (563), Meghalaya (270), and Manipur (9).
The figures come against the backdrop of earlier national surveys showing declines in tobacco use. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) reported a 17.3% relative reduction in prevalence between GATS-1 (2009–10) and GATS-2 (2016–17).
Among youth (aged 13–15 years), the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) recorded a 42.5% decline in tobacco use between 2009 and 2019.
As per the report, a significant portion of adults, around 43%, use tobacco, including both smoking and smokeless tobacco use.
Across the country, 2,10,788 individuals reportedly quit tobacco between 2020 and 2025. Maharashtra topped the list with 37,642, followed by Mizoram (34,477), Rajasthan (22,937), Himachal Pradesh (15,433), and Karnataka (14,290). The lowest figures were from Manipur (9) and Lakshadweep (250).
Government measures
The MoH&FW outlined several initiatives under the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), launched in 2007–08, to meet reduction targets. These include the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003; the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019; over 2,000 Tobacco Cessation Centres; and a toll-free National Tobacco Quitline Service (1800-112-356) providing counselling in 16 languages.
Since 2023, the Ministry has also run a 60-day annual “Tobacco Free Youth Campaign” to educate young people about the dangers of tobacco and empower them to quit or resist its use. Monitoring of programme activities, such as training, awareness campaigns, and enforcement drives, is conducted through the NTCP-MIS portal.
