The Consortium For Tobacco Free Karnataka (CFTFK) will join health experts and other fraternities to raise awareness about the ill effects of the use of tobacco to mark World No Tobacco Day on May 31.
It will hold a series of programmes to promote a tobacco-free Bengaluru. The World Health Organisation's theme for this year is 'Tobacco Breaks Hearts', which emphasises on the impact of tobacco on cardiovascular health.
As part of the programmes, the State Tobacco Control Cell has organised a walkathon on May 31 morning from Anand Rao Circle to Freedom Park.
The CFTFK also plans to launch information kiosks at public places across the state on May 29. The kiosks, which will function for three days in six cities, will come up in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Ballari, Davanagere, Tumakuru and Mangaluru. In Bengaluru, it will be launched at the Victoria Hospital at 10 am.
An app will also be launched that will allow citizens to upload pictures of tobacco-related violations. The violation reports will be sent to the enforcing officers (SP, DHO, DDPI) of the respective jurisdiction.
Further, the One Million Signature campaign is set to be launched on May 29.
S J Chander, convener of the consortium, said: "The signature campaign aims to collect 10 lakh signatures from the public, demanding that the state government come up with a strict regulation policy on the sale of tobacco products and the removal of smoking zones in restaurants and bars across the state."
Dr Vishal Rao, oncologist and member of the consortium, said: "Second-hand smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular diseases. To prevent this, we must ban smoking in public places and remove designated smoking areas that do not follow the law."