Introduction:
Currently, in India, enforcement of COTPA sections 4, 5, 6 pertaining to establishing tobacco-free educational institutes are carried out by making in-person visits by tobacco control authorities. Given the prevailing inadequate manpower in the National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP) across states in India, compliance enforcement and particularly compliance maintenance across educational institutes in the states becomes a tedious process.

Objectives:
To establish mobile-based enforcement and monitoring of ‘tobacco-free indicators’ at educational institutes in the district of Puducherry

Methods:
A mobile application that develops a virtual network among the state tobacco control managers, tobacco control field enforcers, and the in-charges of educational institutes in Puducherry is conceptualized. Data flow pathways between the stakeholders, functionalities of the application and tobacco-free indicators to be enforced and monitored using the application have been developed in collaboration with the state tobacco control cell (STCC) authorities. The application will be rolled out in collaboration with STCC and department of education in two stages i.e. Pilot and Deployment. On addressing operational challenges in pilot phase, the moblie application’s deployment will be integrated into the ongoing tobacco control activities. The stakeholders will be trained by STCC authorities in compliance enforcement, reporting of compliance (baseline and periodic), addressing violations and seeking resource supports from STCC.

Results:
This application will enable remote enforcement and periodic assessment of compliance to ‘tobacco-free indicators’, address the technical problems and other resources support raised by the in-charges of educational institutes, and undertake legal actions on the violations of sections 4,5,6 of COTPA act towards achieving the ‘tobacco-free indicators’ at educational institutes in the district. The compliance level across educational institutes in the district will be obtained in real-time fashion.

Conclusion(s):
Given the resource constraints for tobacco control in Puducherry, establishing a mobile-based enforcement and monitoring mechanism is the need of the hour to achieve ‘tobacco-free status’ across educational institutes in the district.