India Conferred 2025 Bloomberg Award for Tobacco Control

India has been recognised among six countries for its significant strides in tobacco control, winning the 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Award for Global Tobacco Control. The award was presented to the National Tobacco Control Cell under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare during the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, Ireland, on Monday.

The country received the prestigious 'O' category award under the WHO’s MPOWER strategy — with 'O' representing "Offer help to quit tobacco use." This global accolade acknowledges India’s proactive and sustained approach to helping tobacco users quit, through robust public health infrastructure and support mechanisms.
Other recipients of the award included Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, the Philippines, and Ukraine — all applauded for their ongoing efforts to curb tobacco consumption through progressive policies and programs.

India's recognition comes in light of its comprehensive initiatives aimed at reducing tobacco dependence. These include a national toll-free quitline that handles nearly 50,000 calls every month and cessation support at thousands of primary care centres and hospitals. Tobacco cessation services are currently available across 675 district hospitals, 302 dental institutions, 361 medical colleges, and over 600 clinics catering to non-communicable diseases, oral health, and community health.

Specialised quitline centres have been established at key medical institutions such as NIMHANS (Bengaluru), Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute (Delhi), Tata Memorial Centre (Mumbai), and Dr. B. Borooah Cancer Institute (Guwahati), offering consistent support to those trying to quit.

Receiving the award on behalf of the Indian government, Dr. Pratima Murthy — Director and Senior Professor of Psychiatry at NIMHANS — highlighted India’s multi-pronged strategy through the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP). “This includes integrating cessation clinics into medical and dental facilities, primary care interventions at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, linking the NTCP with national health programmes, and widespread awareness campaigns,” she said.

Dr. Murthy also mentioned targeted campaigns such as "Tobacco-Free Youth" and the mental health support initiative "TeleMANAS" as important components of India’s broader strategy to reduce tobacco initiation, especially among young people. “It is an absolute honour to receive the award on behalf of the Indian Government,” she added.

Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and WHO’s Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, presented the awards. “Since we began supporting global tobacco control in 2007, we’ve seen major progress. But there’s still a long journey ahead,” Bloomberg said.

Coinciding with the awards, the WHO Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report was also launched. It highlights the global reduction in smoking rates — from 22.3% in 2007 to 16.4% in 2023 — a relative decline of 26% in 16 years. In India, adult daily smoking prevalence in 2023 was recorded at 7%. While the use of smokeless tobacco remains a significant concern, the report acknowledged India's continued commitment to addressing the issue.

At the event, Bloomberg also announced a new $20 million Accelerator Fund to aid tobacco control progress in low- and middle-income countries where policy implementation has stalled. The initiative aims to support both governments and NGOs in adopting WHO-recommended best practices.

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