India Research Center
The India Research Center, based in Mumbai, serves as a hub for Harvard Chan School’s research projects, educational programs, and knowledge translation and communication work across India.
Dextrus, 6th floor,
Peninsula Towers,
Peninsula Corporate Park,
Lower Parel, Mumbai 400013
India
Roundtable: “Advancing Tobacco and Alcohol Control in India: Evidence and the Next Steps”
Tobacco and alcohol co-use poses a dual public health challenge with well-established research highlighting strong co-morbid and interactive effects at the population, environmental, individual, and biological levels.
Recognizing these challenges, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Research Center in collaboration with The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University, hosted a roundtable on “Advancing Tobacco and Alcohol Control in India: Evidence and the Next Steps” in Delhi on August 4, 2025.
This forum brought together representatives from the National and State governments, academic and research institutions, implementing agencies, and community-based organizations to deliberate on collaborative and strategic approaches for strengthening the National Tobacco Control Program and initiatives aimed at addressing alcohol abuse in India.
Topics Addressed
Inaugural Session
Opening Remarks
Dr. K. Viswanath
Director, Harvard Chan India Research Center and Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Dr. Rati Godrej
Advisor, Harvard Chan India Research Center
Special Address
Dr. L. Swasticharan
Deputy Director General, Directorate General of Health Services,
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)
Dr. Prakash C. Gupta
Director, Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health
Session 1: Tobacco and Alcohol in India: Trends and Co-Morbidities
Dr. K. Viswanath
Session 2
a) National Initiatives and Policy Frameworks
Overview of Tobacco and Alcohol initiatives in India and policy level challenges:
Dr. Avinash Sunthlia
DADG – NTCP, Directorate General of Health Services,
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)
b) From Policy to Practice
Addressing ground level challenges in tobacco and alcohol control:
Dr. Abhishek Khanna
NPO – Health Promotion and Social Determinants of Health,
WHO India
c) Role of Public Health Institutes
Mobilizing Public Health Institutes for Tobacco and Alcohol Control:
Dr. Sonu Goel
Professor of Health Management and Director,
RCTC School of Public health, PGIMER Chandigarh
Open Discussion
Strengthening India’s Tobacco and Alcohol Control Efforts:
Facilitator: Dr. Sonu Goel
Professor of Health Management and Director,
RCTC School of Public health, PGIMER Chandigarh
Session 3: Health & Social Outcomes
Youth and risk behaviours
Ms. Tshering Bhutia
CIO and SVP Preventive Health, Salaam Bombay Foundation
Alcohol and its health and social impacts
Dr. Anju Dhawan
Chief, National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC),
AIIMS New Delhi
Tobacco and its health and social impacts
Dr. Rana Singh
Director – Tobacco Control, SE Asia, Vital Strategies
Open Discussion
Facilitator: Dr. Himanshu Gupte
Vice President- Health, Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation
Session 4: Learnings from States
Dr. Gopal Chauhan
State Nodal Officer, NTCP, Himachal Pradesh
Dr. Nabaneeta D Mawrie
State Nodal Officer, NTCP and NOHP, Meghalaya
Dr. Brahm Deep Sindhu
Director Mental Health, Deaddiction, Tobacco Control and NCD,
DGHS Haryana
Dr. Kedar Raikar
State Nodal Officer, Directorate of Health Services, Goa
Open Discussion
Facilitator: Dr. Mangesh Pednekar
Director, Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health
Session 5: Charting the Way Forward
Breakout Groups
- Policy Actions
- Program Innovations and Implementation
- Research Priorities
Closing Remarks
Dr. K. Viswanath
Dr. Rati Godrej
