Ministry launches nationwide school rally challenge to curb tobacco use among students

The Ministry of Education has launched a nationwide 'School Rally Challenge' aimed at creating a tobacco-free generation. The initiative invites schools across India to organise awareness activities against tobacco and substance abuse. As part of the campaign, the Nasha Mukt Vidyalaya portal has been introduced to implement the Department of School Education and Literacy's three-year action plan for 2026-2029, which is a step towards a 'Nasha Mukt Bharat'.

According to an official statement from the ministry, the initiative seeks to raise awareness among school students about the harmful effects of tobacco and substance abuse. The campaign is being coordinated through the website tofei.education.gov.in, where students and schools can participate in rallies, street plays, poster-making, slogan writing, and poem competitions to spread the message.

More than 17,000 schools have already joined the campaign, covering 545 districts across 36 states and union territories, the ministry said in a social media post. Student-led activities have been used to strengthen the implementation of the Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions (TOFEI) guidelines. The winning schools were recognised on May 29, 2026.

The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-2019) reported that 8.4 per cent of students aged 13-15 years currently use tobacco products, with the average age of initiation being just 10 years. Recognising the vulnerability of youth, the government has adopted a whole-of-government approach to address the issue through sustained awareness, prevention, and enforcement measures, according to a press release from the Press Information Bureau (PIB). The report also emphasised that a healthy and well-informed youth population is essential for achieving the national goal of transforming India into a developed nation by 2047.