Seven villages go tobacco-free in Davangere

Davanagere: Staff from the local surveillance unit helped make seven villages in Davangere district free of tobacco. Hulupinakatte village in Davangere taluk, along with Sultanipura, Obannanahalli, Ontihala, Timlapura, Hattihala and Narenahalli in different taluks, has been declared tobacco-free.

In Hulupinakatte, even shops selling tobacco have disappeared.Villager Basavarajappa said that since the youth in the village gave up tobacco, shopkeepers also stopped stocking and selling it. This positive development spread across the district, and more villages have also been putting efforts into their villages to become tobacco-free.Speaking about the change, resident Basavarajappa said, “Our village is now free of tobacco.

Officials came and inspected it. Neither the youth nor the elderly are using tobacco anymore. People were inspired by one another to quit. Now they only chew betel leaves,” he shared.ZP CEO Gitte Madhav Vithal Rao said, “Tobacco is unavailable in seven villages of our district. No one is consuming it, and no one should. Cancer cases are rising. Last year, the ZP issued a circular and selected 20 villages to be turned into tobacco-free villages.

Use has declined in these villages, and we are spreading awareness through the respective PDOs and ASHA workers. Tobacco is not available anywhere in these villages, and people are no longer buying it.

If people stop consuming tobacco, shops will also stop selling it.”District surveillance officer Dr GD Raghavan said, “We have declared villages with no tobacco sales and low consumption as tobacco-free villages. Efforts are underway to make the remaining 13 villages tobacco-free within this year as well. A committee has been formed for this, with the gram panchayat president serving as chairperson. The PDO acts as the nodal officer, while health department staff and ASHA workers are working hard on the initiative.

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