Tobacco Free Delhi Project
A CSR Initiative by BRPL (BSES Rajdhani Power Limited)
Working Towards a Tobacco-Free Delhi, India and Planet
The Tobacco Free Delhi Project is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by BRPL (BSES Rajdhani Power Limited), dedicated to creating a healthier, tobacco-free society. The project aims to reduce tobacco dependence, prevent the initiation of smoking and tobacco use, and protect individuals and families from the harmful effects of passive smoking.
Our vision extends beyond Delhi. Through community awareness, accessible treatment, and sustained prevention efforts, we aspire to contribute towards a Tobacco-Free India and, ultimately, a Tobacco-Free Planet.
We believe that tobacco dependence is not just an individual health concern; it is a social challenge that affects families, communities, and future generations. Addressing it requires awareness, compassion, scientific support, and collective action.
Our Three-Pronged Approach
Tobacco dependence is a complex public health challenge that requires a comprehensive and multipronged response. The Tobacco Free Delhi Project focuses on three key areas:
1. Prevention of Smoking and Tobacco Dependence
Prevention is the foundation of a tobacco-free society. Our first priority is to prevent children and adolescents from initiating smoking, chewing tobacco, and other addictive habits.
Through community outreach, awareness campaigns, and educational programmes, we sensitise students, young people, and the general population about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption. We encourage healthy lifestyle choices and help individuals understand the risks associated with starting tobacco use.
Our goal is to create awareness early, empower communities with knowledge, and protect the next generation from tobacco dependence.
2. Treatment of Smoking and Tobacco Dependence
Our second focus is to support individuals who are already dependent on smoking or other forms of tobacco.
Many tobacco users want to quit but find it difficult because of cravings, withdrawal symptoms, and the addictive nature of nicotine. To address these challenges, we organise a structured and scientifically informed Quit Smoking/Tobacco Programme.
The programme is designed as an intensive four-day intervention, providing appropriate medical support, guidance, motivation, and behavioural counselling to help participants manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms while working towards quitting tobacco.
We aim to make professional cessation support more accessible, particularly to communities that may otherwise be unable to afford treatment.
3. Protection from Passive Smoking
Tobacco smoke affects more than the person who consumes it. Non-smokers, including children, spouses, elderly family members, and others sharing the same environment, can also be exposed to harmful second-hand smoke.
We conduct awareness initiatives to educate communities about the health risks of passive smoking and the importance of smoke-free homes and public spaces.
By encouraging tobacco users to quit and promoting smoke-free environments, we work towards protecting families and reducing involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke.
Quit Smoking in 4 Days – Our Tobacco De-Addiction Programme
Making Tobacco Cessation Support Accessible to Communities
One of the key initiatives under the Tobacco Free Delhi Project is our “Quit Smoking in 4 Days” Programme, designed to help people overcome tobacco dependence through structured support and guidance.
The programme primarily reaches villages and economically disadvantaged communities across Delhi, where many tobacco users face financial barriers to accessing cessation services.
Our aim is to take treatment and awareness directly to the communities that need them most. Programmes are organised at accessible community locations such as village choupals and community centres, with eligible participants receiving treatment support and medication free of cost.
How the Programme Works
Community Sensitisation and Awareness
Before the treatment programme begins, we conduct two days of community awareness and sensitisation activities. These sessions educate residents about the harmful effects of smoking and tobacco consumption, explain the challenges of tobacco dependence, and introduce the available quitting support.
Four-Day Intensive Intervention
The programme follows a structured four-day format that combines educational and behavioural support. Participants attend audio-visual presentations, awareness sessions, and sensitisation activities designed to improve their understanding of tobacco dependence and the quitting process.
Medical Support and Withdrawal Management
Appropriate medication and treatment support are provided under medical supervision to help participants manage nicotine cravings and withdrawal-related discomfort. This support is intended to make the quitting process more manageable.
Motivational Guidance and Behavioural Counselling
Along with medical support, participants receive intensive motivational guidance and cognitive behavioural support. These interventions help individuals understand their tobacco-use patterns, recognise triggers, strengthen their motivation, and develop healthier coping strategies.
Community-Based and Free Treatment Support
The programme is organised in underserved communities, with treatment and medication provided free of cost to eligible participants. This approach helps reduce financial barriers and makes tobacco cessation support more accessible.
Our Commitment to Tobacco Cessation
Through the Quit Smoking in 4 Days Programme, we have witnessed the importance of accessible treatment, community participation, and sustained motivation in helping tobacco users work towards a tobacco-free life.
Every participant represents an opportunity to improve not only individual health but also the well-being of an entire family.
Our Journey from 2016 to 2022 – Over 10,000 Tobacco Users Treated
A Journey of Community Transformation
Our journey began in 2016 with a modest but meaningful initiative known as the “Cigarette/Tobacco Choro Abhiyaan.” The response from local communities was encouraging, and the programme received overwhelming support from the people it was designed to serve.
During its initial four-month phase in 2016, the initiative reached thousands of tobacco users and helped many participants work towards quitting through structured treatment and support.
The positive community response encouraged us to continue the programme year after year. What began as an initial intervention gradually developed into an ongoing commitment to tobacco prevention, awareness, and cessation.
From 2016 through 2022, the initiative continued its work across different regions of Delhi.
<The journey has reached an important milestone: more than 10,000 smokers and tobacco users received treatment support through the programme during this period.>
This milestone reflects years of community engagement, awareness-building, and efforts to make tobacco cessation support accessible to people who need it.
Why This Initiative Matters
Our work is especially meaningful because it reaches communities where tobacco dependence is common, awareness about treatment may be limited, and access to healthcare can be financially challenging.
1. Reaching Communities with Limited Resources
Many individuals in the communities we serve struggle to afford tobacco cessation treatment, even when they wish to quit. By bringing awareness, medical support, and medication directly to these communities free of cost, we aim to reduce barriers to treatment.
2. Educating People About Tobacco Dependence
In some communities, tobacco use is normalised because it is widely practised and passed from one generation to another. Awareness programmes help people understand that tobacco dependence is a serious health concern and that support is available to help them quit.
3. Transforming Families, Not Just Individuals
Tobacco dependence affects the entire family. It can influence household finances, relationships, health, and the well-being of children. Helping one person move towards quitting can positively influence the lives of other family members and encourage healthier habits at home.
4. Addressing Tobacco Use Among Women
Our community programmes have also highlighted the importance of recognising tobacco dependence among women. During the initiatives, we observed that approximately 20% of the participants seeking treatment were women.
This reinforced the need for inclusive awareness and accessible cessation support for women. Supporting a woman in overcoming tobacco dependence can also have a positive influence on her family and the next generation.
5. Protecting Children and Young People
One of the most concerning observations during our community interventions was the presence of children as young as eight years old, and sometimes younger, exposed to or using addictive substances.
This highlights the urgent need for early prevention, awareness, and appropriate support for children and adolescents. Protecting young people from addiction is essential for building healthier families and a stronger future society.
A Commitment to Community Well-Being
The Tobacco Free Delhi Project is more than a CSR activity; it is a commitment to community health, awareness, and social transformation.
We believe that every person deserves access to information and support that can help them make healthier choices, regardless of their financial circumstances or social background.
By combining prevention, treatment, and protection from passive smoking, we aim to create lasting change at the individual, family, and community levels.
A Vision for a Tobacco-Free India
Working for the community has become our passion and commitment. Reaching people who face the greatest barriers to treatment, educating those who may not recognise tobacco dependence as a health concern, and helping individuals take steps towards quitting gives this initiative its true purpose.
As Dr. Sajeela Maini expresses in The Last Puff, this work is closely connected to her dream of a Tobacco-Free India.
Every person supported, every family made more aware, and every community reached brings us one step closer to that vision.
Together, let us create a healthier future – a Tobacco-Free Delhi, a Tobacco-Free India, and a Tobacco-Free Planet.
