New Delhi woke up to a familiar fight with a new front line on Wednesday. Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav launched the fourth edition of the Tobacco-Free Youth Campaign, a 60-day nationwide drive that puts universities and colleges at the centre of India’s push to keep young people away from tobacco and nicotine.
The launch took place at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, with students from the institute taking part in the programme. Jadhav, who holds independent charge of Ayush and is Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, called on young Indians to lead the movement themselves, and urged them to reject tobacco and other addictive substances and choose healthy, addiction-free lives.
His message was blunt and simple: Say No to Tobacco.
Why colleges, and why now
Earlier editions of the campaign concentrated heavily on schools and villages. This time the focus shifts upward, to the campuses where many young people first face real pressure to try tobacco. Peer influence is stronger there, products are easier to come by, and the years spent in college often decide habits that last a lifetime.
The campaign aims to work on four fronts at once. It wants to stop young people from starting tobacco use in the first place, help those who already use it to quit, tighten enforcement of existing tobacco control laws, and build environments, starting with campuses, where tobacco simply has no place.
That work will follow what officials describe as a whole-of-government approach, joining up health, education, youth development, local governance, law enforcement and communication. Colleges are expected to declare themselves tobacco-free, with awareness work led, wherever possible, by students rather than handed down to them.
What the last three editions achieved
The government points to steady growth since the campaign began on 31 May 2023. Across its first three editions, more than 5.8 lakh educational institutions and more than 73,000 villages have been declared tobacco-free.
The numbers behind that total tell the story of a campaign gathering pace. The second edition, launched in September 2024, added 1,67,762 educational institutions and 27,534 villages. The third edition, launched in October 2025, added 2,57,807 institutions and 33,850 villages. The fourth edition now has to build on that base, this time with higher education in the lead.
For colleges, the ask is concrete: go tobacco-free, run youth-led awareness activities, and make sure students know where to find help if they want to quit. The Health Ministry has called on states, institutions, civil society groups, health workers and citizens to take part.
The health case in plain terms
Jadhav returned repeatedly to the health damage tobacco causes, and to why adolescence matters so much. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including many toxic and cancer-causing substances that can damage organs across the body.
Nicotine, he cautioned, is a particular risk for teenagers and young adults because their brains are still developing. Exposure during adolescence can affect attention, memory and learning, and it can lock in dependence at exactly the age when young people are least equipped to break it. Protecting that age group, the minister said, is both a public health imperative and a national responsibility, central to the vision of a healthy and developed India, or Viksit Bharat.
The test over the next 60 days will be whether campuses actually turn tobacco-free in practice, and whether students who want to quit find real support when they ask for it.
What happens next
Over the coming weeks, colleges can expect awareness programmes, pledges and enforcement drives, with student bodies playing a visible role. The ministry wants a people’s movement, not a poster campaign.
For students, the invitation is direct: say no, and help make the place where you study a place where tobacco has no welcome. Habits formed young are far harder to break later.
FAQs
What is the Tobacco-Free Youth Campaign 4.0?
It is the fourth edition of a nationwide government campaign to prevent tobacco use and nicotine addiction among young people. Launched on 28 October 2026 in New Delhi, it runs for 60 days with a special focus on universities and colleges.
Who launched it?
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush and Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav launched the campaign at ABVIMS and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi.
What does the campaign aim to do?
Prevent young people from starting tobacco, encourage those who use it to quit, strengthen enforcement of tobacco control laws, and promote tobacco-free environments, especially on campuses.
What have earlier editions achieved?
More than 5.8 lakh educational institutions and more than 73,000 villages have been declared tobacco-free across the first three editions, which began on 31 May 2023.
Why is nicotine risky for young people?
Nicotine exposure during adolescence can affect brain development, attention, memory and learning. Tobacco smoke also contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including toxic and cancer-causing substances.
Students and colleges looking to join the campaign can contact their institution or local health authorities for details of activities in their area.
