Naga village declared 'tobacco free'

KOHIMA: Gariphema village in Kohima district of Nagaland has earned the credit of becoming the first in the country to be declared as 'Tobacco Free Village' at a ceremony organized on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day on Saturday.

The joint efforts of the village council, village vision cell and Village Students' Union worked wonders to achieve the goal.

Nagaland principal secretary of irrigation, flood control and public health engineering, R Binchilo Thong said Gariphema village was the only one in the country to ban the sale of any form of tobacco products and alcohol and has been termed as a tobacco-free village. He was the chief guest at an event organized on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day at the village council hall of Gariphema on Saturday.