Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava introduced the pilot version of the Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) Application, reaffirming the Central government’s fight against tobacco and nicotine addiction.

In a statement, the Health Secretary stated that the ToFEI app was a digital project designed to enhance the implementation and monitoring of tobacco-free guidelines in colleges and schools around the country.

Srivastava stated that the ToFEI app is a digital initiative designed to improve the implementation and monitoring of tobacco-free standards in schools and institutions across the nation, speaking at an event commemorating World No Tobacco Day 2026.

“Unmasking the Appeal – Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction,” the theme for this year’s World No Tobacco Day, is particularly important in the context of protecting young people and future generations from the damaging effects of tobacco and nicotine addiction, according to Srivastava.

A statement said that the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) had organized the national event.

The app is made to help educational institutions evaluate and report themselves, and to keep an eye on how well they follow the ToFEI standards, according to Srivastava.

It will support the execution of regulations governing tobacco control signage, a ban on the sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions, sensitization and awareness-raising exercises for teachers and students, and enhanced enforcement of procedures for tobacco-free campuses, she stated.

According to the statement, the digital platform is expected to help states and UTs, educational institutions, and programme officials by using standardised monitoring, reporting, and compliance assessment systems, which will improve accountability and foster more tobacco-free, healthy environments for children and adolescents.

It added that the pilot implementation of the program in three states (Maharashtra, Meghalaya, and Rajasthan) will help evaluate its operational viability, reinforce its reporting and implementation mechanisms, and guide the platform’s future nationwide expansion.

The Ministry also released the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Sample Collection of Tobacco Products at the event, with the goals of improving surveillance, regulatory compliance, and quality control of tobacco products.

The statement noted that the SOP outlines standardized procedures for the gathering, processing, keeping, moving, and logging of tobacco product samples in order to maintain regularity and trustworthiness throughout the assessment procedures.

She emphasized that one of the most important components of tobacco control initiatives is to bolster regulatory and enforcement procedures.

The Secretary said that the integrity of the entire chain, proper testing methods, and scientific sample collection are necessary for ensuring effective enforcement and regulatory action.

She pointed out that the SOP will contribute to standardizing processes and aid states and implementing agencies in enhancing compliance and enforcement efforts.