Keezhamad village in Ernakulam district has been declared the first tobacco-free village in Keralam after scoring 144 out of 150 under criteria prescribed by the central government, the state government said on Sunday.
Congress MP Benny Behanan made the announcement at an event in the village.
The state government's official statement said this was the first time a village in Keralam had received the tobacco-free designation.
The programme focused on educating residents about the harmful effects of tobacco through sustained awareness campaigns.
The government clarified that being designated a tobacco-free village does not mean nobody in the area smokes or that tobacco products are completely unavailable.
Under the criteria, tobacco products must not be sold within 100 metres of schools or made available to people below 18 years of age. Smoking in public places and advertisements promoting tobacco use are also prohibited.
The programme also requires government and private institutions, including shops and hotels, to display boards stating that the premises are tobacco-free and smoking is punishable. Violations are to be identified through inspections and fines imposed as per the rules, the statement said.
A range of groups contributed to the campaign, including Kudumbashree units, Haritha Karma Sena members, gram panchayat representatives, Anganwadi workers, traders, industrialists and health workers.
As part of the drive, anti-tobacco notices were distributed to households and messages were displayed at bus waiting areas. Schools were declared tobacco-free zones, while students were educated about the harmful effects of tobacco through seminars and competitions.
Inspections were also carried out in coordination with the Excise Department, during which tobacco products were identified and destroyed, the government said.
Film actor and comedian Saju Kodiyan was selected as the panchayat-level ambassador for the tobacco-free campaign.
Keezhamad has also received the TB Mukth Award twice consecutively, the statement added.