On Friday, Nagaland's capital Kohima joined other capitals like Chandigarh, Kottayam and Shimla to become a completely 'smoke-fee' city. The official declaration was made by district Deputy Commissioner Rovilatuo Mor during a campaign for 'Smoke Free Kohima City.' He said, "Guidelines for adherence by public and enforcement by the district administration and police would be brought out soon." The campaign, organised by the District Tobacco Control Cell under the Department of Health and Family Welfare, had 22 students from various schools participating as they carried placards with anti-tobacco slogans written on it.

The memorandum addressed to the DC read, in order to be eligible for the selection process of a Smart City, going smoke-free was a mandatory step to take. As per the submitted report, for a city to be counted as a 'Smart City', it is mandatory to have at least 20 tobacco-free schools, one college and one institution smoke-free.

Chandigarh was the first city to be declared smoke-free in India back in 2007. They were followed by Kottayam and Shimla. In 2010, Sikkim became the first smoke-free state. Himachal Pradesh, the second in 2014.