The Rajasthan government has asked all state-run colleges to ban sale of junk food on their premises, an official said on Friday.

“On the request of the state government, the directorate of college education has written to principals of all state run colleges directing them not to sell pizza, burger, cold drinks etc. in their canteens,” a senior officer said.

The move aims to promote healthy food habits and discourage intake of foods that are high in saturated fats and carbonated drinks, he said. “ College is the best time to develop habits for good health. If taught properly in this period, a person is likely to remain health conscious throughout his or her life,” said the official.

 The directive also advises the college administration to run awareness campaigns among students, warning them of the ill effects these foods can have on their health.

Principals have also been asked to inform students about benefits of eating healthy food and participating in sports and games. Students, however, say they would ocassionally want to eat fast food on the campus.

The state government had earlier prohibited sale of nicotine products.