Photo Courtesy: nenow
Shillong: Meghalaya’s campaign to curb smoking is picking up steam. Across the East Khasi Hills and West Jaintia Hills, 531 Village Health Councils have now met strict criteria to earn tobacco-free status. This marks a massive leap from the 264 villages that qualified during the inaugural year of the Tobacco-Free Village Programme.
Launched in 2024, the initiative is a joint effort by the National Health Mission, the Meghalaya State Rural Livelihoods Society, and the Sambandh Health Foundation. The project aims for real results. Out of 1,295 councils in these districts, 1,039 are currently running the program. Nabaneeta D. Mawrie, the state nodal officer, emphasized the need for tangible shifts. “The Tobacco-Free Village programme is not about declaring villages tobacco-free on paper; it is about communities taking action,” she said.
Tobacco kills an estimated 8,000 people in Meghalaya every year. To combat this, participants must complete at least five of six core tasks, including appointing nodal officers, enforcing bans near schools, and installing public health signage. The second year saw over 5,500 activities reach 55,000 people. In Mawmluh, residents reported that up to 70 percent of families stopped smoking near children.
Ronald Kynta, the chief operating officer of MSRLS, credited the success to local networks. “MSRLS staff have used their deep trust and reach within communities, built through Village Organisation, SHGs and VHCs, to carry tobacco prevention into homes and everyday conversations, making healthier practices a shared community goal,” Kynta stated. The government honored top-performing villages in Shillong on World No Tobacco Day 2026. With the third year starting September 1, the state is pushing to scale these community-led efforts even further.
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