Ministry of Education's Department of School Education and Literacy (DOSEL) organized a national meeting on May 29, 2026, in New Delhi
Event honored winning schools of "Tobacco-Free Generation: School Challenge 2025" under the MyGov Innovate campaign
Over 17,000 schools from across the country participated in the challenge
12 schools were honored across four categories: Foundational, Preparatory, Middle, and Secondary
Three schools selected from each category
Cash prizes awarded: ₹50,000 for first place, ₹25,000 for second place, ₹15,000 for third place
Total prize money distributed: ₹2.7 lakhs
41 schools received appreciation awards for commendable efforts
Launched three-year action plan (2026-2029) under Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan
Launched Nasha Mukt Vidyalaya portal (https://tofei.education.gov.in/) for monitoring and documentation
Indian school system reaches approximately 24.69 crore children and can influence 15-20 crore families
Three-year action plan based on four key interventions:
Nasha Mukt Vidyalaya portal through UDISE+ for school self-declaration, monitoring and compliance tracking
Implementation of 500-meter tobacco-free zones around educational institutions
Integration of age-appropriate substance abuse prevention and health education in NCERT, CBSE and state board curricula
Development of standardized multilingual information and communication education materials
Plan focuses on teacher capacity building through pre-service and in-service training
Early identification and referral of at-risk students
Mental health support through Manodarpan national helpline (844 844 0632)
Robust monitoring framework from school to national level
Government legislative and financial measures mentioned:
COTPA Act implemented in 2003
Ban on electronic cigarettes in 2019
Highest GST rates and cess on tobacco products
DOSEL developed implementation guidelines for TOFEI guidelines in schools in 2024
Event attended by Secretary Sanjay Kumar, Economic Advisor A. Sreeja, Joint Director Ram Singh, NCERT Director Professor Dinesh Prasad Saklani, and senior ministry officials
