J&K first in Country to declare all Election booths as No smoking Zones

Beig Shamim Ahmed,March 25^th: Shri Umang Narula, Chief Electoral Officer Jammu and Kashmir has directed that all Election Booths in J&K shall be No Smoking Zones. Instructions in this regard have been issued to all Returning Officers and District Election Officers of the State by the Chief Electoral Officer J&K vide Circular No: 1611/CEO/ Gen/2014/9932-51 dated 11.3.2014.  The directions were given on the representation made by A.M.Mir (IAS Retd) Executive Director J&K Voluntary Health Association, requesting the Chief Electoral Officer to declare all election booths as No-Smoking Zones in accordance with Section-4 of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003, which prohibits smoking at all public places.Jammu and Kashmir is the first State in the Country to declare all election booths as No Smoking Zones and it will now be mandatory for all election booths to display the warning “No Smoking Area- Smoking here is an offence”. The decision taken by Chief Electoral Officer J&K has been widely appreciated by the public in general and JKVHA in particular, who have termed it as a land mark decision, which will go a long way to ensure better health for the non-smoker voters.