Nada India's brand ambassador Rita Thakur of Shimla will represent India at Youth Summit on Free Tobacco in Bangkok

Nada India is striving to run green and healthy campus campaign in local universities and colleges with the help of young people for change. Mangal Singh and Sunny Kumar are not only leading the charge but also mentoring and training thousand of young individuals like Rita Thakur. Through their efforts, these youth champions are rallying against tobacco by advocating for stronger tobacco control laws in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana

Shimla: The Nada India Foundation’s brand ambassador Rita Thakur who is a student of MA Social Works at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) Shimla will represent India at the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Regional Asia Youth Ambassador Summit  from August 28 to September 1 to be held in Bangkok. This five day long summit will be represented by youth across Asia who will be deliberating upon the social and economical challenges posed by tobacco and the way out to curb this threatening danger in future.

Convenor of Nada India Foundation and Karmaveer Award recipient Suneel Vatsyayan said that every year eight million people lose their lives due to tobacco consumption in the world, out of which 1.3 million people are non-smokers who are in the grip of tobacco smoke even if they do not want to. The figures are alarming which makes it very important for the youth to brainstorm in such organized forums so that the future generations can be saved from the emerging crisis.

HPU Vice Chancellor S P Bansal has congratulated Thakur for earning this distinction, the statement said. The Print 

While expressing the gratitude to Himachal Pradesh University HPU and its Vice Chancellor Professor Sat Prakash Bansal, he said that with the support from  the University  and Rita Thakur, the Nada India Foundation has proved to be very meaningful in providing tobacco awareness to the local youth in the state. The Foundation has been presenting its case to the GST Council from time to time for increasing tax on tobacco product

Expressing happiness on representing India, Rita Thakur said that this is the first time for her when she is representing India on such a sensitive issue. Citing the initiative of the state government to increase the CCGR tax on tobacco products, she said that she would present this step of her state government as a case study during the summit. According to her, the increased tax on tobacco products not only increases the revenue for the state but also tries to keep expensive tobacco products away from the reach of youth and children. She informed that most of the countries of Asia are struggling with economic crises by living below the poverty line. Despite this, there is a significant jump in the consumption of tobacco being recorded in these countries. To deal with this deepening crisis, she will appeal to the representatives of different countries in the summit to lobby the governments of their countries to increase the tax on tobacco products like India. 

Ritu Thakur will be part of the summit to be held from August 28 to September 1 in Bangkok, a statement issued by the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) said. She has played a key role in the "tobacco-free" campaign being run under the auspices of the Nada India Foundation in the state, it said. The Week Magazine 

Mr.Vatsyayan informed that Nada India, along with Health Directorate, various departments of HPU, Revenue Department, along with NGOs working in this direction, had released the Himachal Pradesh Tobacco Tax Consultation Report in September 2022 at HPU  which proved fruitful as the state government has taken concrete steps in tax increment in tobacco products.

Mr.Vatsyayan also praised the initiative of 'Tobacco Free University' of HPU campus in the fight against tobacco. He said that it will be the endeavour of Nada India Foundation to carry out many such youth empowerment programs in collaboration with NSS, NCC and other groups of the University. Nada India is striving to run green and healthy campus campaigns in local universities and colleges with the help of such influential youth. Mr.Vatsyayan emphasised 

Mangal Singh Nada State Coordinator and Sunny Kumar Convener Nada Young India Network for Good Health are not only leading the Tobacco Youth campaign but also mentoring and training thousands of young individuals like Rita Thakur. Through their efforts, these youth champions are rallying against tobacco by advocating for stronger tobacco control laws in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana.

Shaping a Better Tomorrow 

Nada India Foundation's Green and healthy campus campaign is more than just a movement; it's a call to action. With the guidance of leaders like Mangal Singh and Sunny Kumar, and the passion of driven youth like Rita Thakur, we're not only transforming the present but also forging a path towards a brighter, #TobaccoFreeIndia

Join us in making a difference that counts! #YoungForChange #GreenHealthyCampuses #TobaccoFreeIndia #NadaIndia #NAPSWI