World No Tobacco Day Awareness Rally

About World No Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day is observed globally on 31st May every year. Initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO), this day aims to raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco on health, the environment, and the economy. It serves as a platform to encourage individuals, communities, and governments to take collective action towards reducing tobacco use and promoting a tobacco-free society.

The day highlights the urgent need to protect present and future generations from the dangers of tobacco consumption, including both smoking and smokeless forms. It reinforces the commitment to public health and supports national efforts to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases through preventive measures, behaviour change, and health promotion.

World No Tobacco Day is an opportunity to educate youth, engage stakeholders, and strengthen implementation of tobacco control laws and policies in line with the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).

About the Initiative

To mark World No Tobacco Day on 31st May 2025, the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, calls upon all schools across the country to unleash their creativity and participate in a Nationwide School Challenge aimed at spreading awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco use. The Challenge involves four instruments/activities viz; Rally, Nukkad Natak, Posters and Slogans/Poems which can be leveraged by schools for mobilising local communities against tobacco use.

As part of this initiative, school will organise rallies, nukkad nataks, poster making and slogan/poem writing competitions with maximum participation of students to promote the message: “Say NO to Tobacco, YES to Health.” The aim will be to shape students into agents of change and catalysts for achieving a Tobacco free Generation. The four instruments/activities will serve as a medium for students to engage with the public, raise awareness, and encourage healthy, tobacco-free lifestyles.

Competition Overview: Title "Towards a Tobacco Free Generation: School Challenge"

"Nationwide School Challenge" as part of the World No Tobacco Day 2025 observance. This initiative which will run till 31th July 2025 is aimed at raising awareness among students and the community about the harmful effects of tobacco use and encouraging children to become agents of change in building a healthier society.

Tobacco continues to be a major public health threat, claiming countless lives every year and affecting families and communities across the country. The Challenge provides an opportunity for schools to prepare its students to take the lead in spreading awareness in their neighbourhoods and surrounding areas with the strong message: “Say NO to Tobacco, YES to Health.”

Schools taking part in the Challenge may ensure that maximum students participate in the four activities and are encouraged to express their views creatively and meaningfully. Students may prepare impactful posters, write thought-provoking slogans and poems, perform Nukkad Nataks (street plays) and engage with local communities through rallies for maximum amplification of message. These creative efforts will serve as powerful tools to engage the public, promote awareness, and inspire collective action against tobacco use.

Submission Details

All participating schools should identify a nodal person for the school (head teacher, teacher or administrative staff). Nodal person must register themselves on the MyGov Innovate Platform for the school to be eligible for the contest. Each Participating School has to submit the below-mentioned Picture or Video Link in order to complete their submission successfully.

1. Nodal Officer:
   1. Nodal Officer could be a Head teacher, teacher or administrative staff.
   2. Nodal person must Register themselves on the MyGov Innovate Platform for the school to be eligible for the contest.
   3. Submission of Nodal Officer details: Name, Mobile No. and Email ID to be filled.
   4. Details of School such as
      1. UDISE code,
      2. Category of school viz
         1. Foundation (Pre-primary to Class 2 or Upto Class 2)
         2. Preparatory (Class 3-5 or Upto Class 5),
         3. Middle (Class 6-8 or Upto Class 8th) and
         4. Secondary (Class 9-12 or Upto class 12th), State and District
2. Details of the Activities- Schools may carry out 4 activities in category (Primary, Preparatory, Middle, Secondary);
   1. Poster Making,
   2. Slogan/Poem Competition
   3. Nukkad Nataks and
   4. Rally.
3. All schools are encouraged to conduct maximum no. of activities (Poster making, Slogan/Poem competition, Nukkad Nataks and Rally) as performance in each activity would be evaluated to arrive at overall score for the school

   Important Information required for Rally:

   1. Date of the Rally,
   2. Location of the Rally (Start and Ending Point of the Rally),
   3. Estimated Distance Covered: Distance in Number (metres), no. of students participating
   4. Documents/Files to be uploaded
      1. Maximum of 3 photos capturing participation and places visited.
      2. Short Video of the rally
   5. Poster making: School to organise a competition to select the best poster, clear photo/image of the winning entry (single poster) to be uploaded.
   6. Slogan/ Poems (max 200 words in any language): School to organise a competition to select the best poster, clear photo/image of the winning entry (single slogan/ poem) or scanned copy of the document (pdf) to be uploaded.
   7. Nukkad Natak: Maximum of two photos capturing the Nukkad Natak to be uploaded along with script (non- mandatory) and short video (non-mandatory)

Eligibility Criteria

1.  Who Can Participate: All recognized schools in India which have a UDISE code
2.  Nodal Officer: Each school must appoint a staff member as the Nodal Officer/coordinator to coordinate the activities and submissions.
3. Only submissions made through MyGov will be considered for the competition; entries submitted through any other means will not be accepted.
4. Submitting Clear and High-Quality Pictures will significantly increase the chances of selection.

Evaluation Process

i. The four activities will have the following weightage in the overall ranking:

ii. The evaluation of the rally will have 3 levels: District/State/ UT Level and National level.

• School Level: All schools with a valid UDISE code will conduct the activities and submit the best entries from each category on MyGov portal.
• District level: District team (jury consists of DIET representatives/DEO/representatives from line departments (optional) shall evaluate the entries of schools with the help of the data dump provided by the MyGov in the Excel format and shall recommend 1 best entry from each activity for further participation at the state level.
• State/UT level: State/UT education department under the leadership of State nodal officer for Tobacco campaign or SCERT (wherever is the nodal agency for the implementation) shall evaluate the recommendations received from the districts and shall finalise 6 to 20 entries (as per State/UT wise entry list given in annexure i) for the recommendation to the national team.
• National Level: National level jury comprises of the representatives from the DoSEL/NCERT & NGOs partner shall evaluate the entries received from the States/UT/ABs for the finalisation of national level winner schools. These winner schools shall be felicitated in a national level appreciation to be conducted in Delhi.

Rewards Details

The most outstanding schools, based on recommendations made by the district, state, and national-level jury panel, will be felicitated at the national-level. All students of the schools who have participated in the activities will receive medallions and appreciation certificates. The school will also get to feature on PM e-Vidya Channels.

Timeline

• 11th June 2025 to 31st July 2025  - Schools to conduct activities and submit entries on MyGov.
• 30th September, 2025: For district evaluation team.
• 31st October, 2025: For State/UT to evaluate and submit for national evaluation.

Terms and conditions

• All submissions must be original and created by the students of the participating school.
• By submitting, schools grant the organizers the right to use the materials for promotional and educational purposes.
• Late submissions will not be considered.

Table 1: State/UT wise entries (as per number of schools) to be forwarded at national level.

Source: UDISE+ 2023-24