Dayanand Sagar University is a prestigious institution who has adopted the Celebrating Life Addiction Free (CLAF) initiative and is engaging their students in the creating awareness and other community level activities on Tobacco and Drugs Control. 

The institution has identified 30 Youth Champs to lead the tobacco and drugs control activities in the college. 

The Youth champs are carrying out the campaign on #Tobaccotaxesforhealth at Dayanand Sagar University, Bengaluru to sensitize and engage the students on the benefits of increased taxes on tobacco products that can prevent more than 50 million deaths and generate an annual additional tax revenue of Rs. 326.9 billion. 

Many Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health along with economists, health experts, CSOs and others have also expressed the need for increased tax on tobaccco products as they are highly affordable in India.

Tobacco is known to kill more than 13 Lakhs people every year with an annual economic burden of more than Rs.1.77 Lkah Crores, this is equivalent to 1.04% of our GDP. 

Tobacco is also cause for top 6 killer diseases in India including Cardiovascular disease, stroke, respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer. These diseases are posing a great threat to the livelihood, health and economy of the people. Increased taxes can reduce the tobacco use by 50%.

Tobacco is one of the biggest gateway into drugs with 90% of drugs users stating that they initiated from tobacco. Highly affordable tobacco products pose high risk of youth initiation on tobacco and drugs.