New Delhi, Sept. 14 -- Consumption of smokeless tobacco, a leading cause of cancer, remains one of India's biggest public health challenges, with more than one in five people using such products. To tackle the crisis, the Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) cancer prevention agency has zeroed in on 100 high-risk districts across 14 states for a targeted intervention. These districts together account for 68% of the country's users of smokeless tobacco.

Apart from the smoke-emitting products such as cigarettes and beedis, tobacco is widely used consumed in smokeless forms that are chewed, sniffed, or applied to the gums.

The flagged 100 high-risk districts, identified by the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NI...