Chandigarh: Recognising its efforts in advancing tobacco control, the WHO has awarded the Resource Centre for Tobacco Control (e-RCTC) of the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh with the Regional Director Special Recognition Award.

The Resource Centre for Tobacco Control provides information related to tobacco control in India, including circulars and orders, policies and legislations, multidisciplinary publications, said Sonu Goel, Director with the e-RCTC.

Besides being a resource hub, the centre has achieved heights in capacity building by organising more than 50 workshops and webinars for around 3,500 program managers and academicians, Goel added.

Mentioning about the official publication of e-RCTC's Tobacco-Free Times, Rana J. Singh, Deputy Regional Director, International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, SouthEast Asia (SEA), said this theme-based newsletter is released bi-monthly containing articles related to tobacco control, its industry, etc.

As many as 19 editions of the newsletter have been released.

The Resource Center for Tobacco Control, a joint initiative of the PGIMER and the UNION-SEA, was set up in 2018 by 25 organisations working over tobacco control in India with an aim to showcase tobacco control initiatives.

The portal has attracted 4.2 lakh visitors from 100 countries in three years, said Rajeev Kumar, Project Coordinator, e-RCTC.

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