Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar launched the India Vs Tobacco Campaign on Wednesday, which engages young people, parents and institutions to work towards a tobacco-free country.
He unveiled QR code-enabled billboards and posters in Bengaluru on the occasion.
The interactive billboards aim to initiate conversations about the health hazards of tobacco use and spread awareness on the harmful effects of passive smoking.
Led by the Health Department, Government of Karnataka, and technical partner, Vital Strategies, the billboards will be up till May 31 — World No Tobacco Day — at prominent places in the city.
Each of the billboards illustrate secondhand smoke (combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers) and is covered with tobacco smoke (from cigarettes and bidis).
The hidden message is revealed when the QR code is scanned.
The billboards and posters are being installed in and around the city to engage the public, especially youngsters, with messages on secondhand smoke exposure and its deadly and harmful impact on health.
Social media promotion
The complementary social media promotion of this campaign will also include messages on the harmful effects of tobacco on the environment, in keeping with this year’s theme for World No Tobacco Day — ‘Tobacco: Threat to the Environment’.
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