June 28 th 2022: The Department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal, in association with the UNION (International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease) Udupi District Surveillance Office, Udupi Zilla Panchayath, and Udupi Nagara Palike organized a capacity-building workshop on “Tobacco Vendor Licensing Considerations for Udupi district” on the
occasion of Nation Public Health Dentistry Week. The event took place on 23 rd June 2022 in the T.M.A Pai Hall at KMC Manipal.
The workshop concentrated on the importance of Tobacco Vendor Licensing and creation of awareness regarding tobacco-related diseases. It emphasized on securing the future of youth by
making India tobacco-free through the medium of licensing. The workshop had 3 interactive sessions conducted by Dr. Amit Yadav, senior technical advisor in Tobacco Control, The Union Southeast
Asia Office in New Delhi, Mr. Prabhakar, Karnataka State project manager of the UNION and Mr Mahantesh, Divisional Coordinator Bloomberg initiative Karnataka Tobacco control cell, UNION.
This capacity building workshop had Udupi District Panchayath Development Officers, Medical and Dental faculty, students, interns and postgraduates as the audience and about 160 people
participated in the program with enthusiasm and lively interaction.
The Chief guest for the event was Mr. H Prasanna, CEO of Udupi Zilla Panchayat and the guest of honour was Dr. Raghu AR, Director of International collaborations, MAHE. Udupi District
Surveillance officer, Dr. Nagarathna, was also in attendance.
Dr.Monica C Solomon, The Dean of MCODS, Manipal, Dr.Vidya Saraswathi M, Associate Dean of MCODS, Manipal, Dr. Ramprasad V P, Professor and Head of the Department of Public Health Dentistry, MCODS, Manipal and Dr. Prajna Nayak, Reader, Dept of Public Health Dentistry graced
the event with their presence. Speaking about the workshop Chief guest Mr. H Prasanna, CEO of Udupi Zilla Panchayat said “India
is the 2 nd highest consumer of tobacco which is known to cause millions of deaths every year due to cancer, yet it is being taken for granted. Deliberate steps need to be taken to control this issue.
Workshops like this will create awareness about the importance of licensing and regulations. By controlling the supply of tobacco, we can create a health society. Dr.Monica C Solomon, The Dean of MCODS echoed these sentiments saying “Tobacco induces a lot
of harm not only on the consumers, but also to the people around them and the environment. Despite the presence of anti-tobacco laws there is unrestricted supply of tobacco by vendors to minors and youth. We arranged this workshop to highlight the importance of Tobacco Vendor
Licensing as it will not just reduce availability and accessibility and stop the illicit trade of tobacco products but in the long run increase compliance, reduce early initiation and support current tobacco
users to quit”
After the interactive sessions, the workshop involved a field visit to the Tobacco Free village Kodi Bengre. This workshop is the latest initiative by MAHE to decrease the drug and tobacco consumption in Udupi District. They have also undertaken the Nasha Mukt Udupi Abhiyaan to make
the region free of drug abuse.
By 
ForthFocus™