NEW DELHI, Dec 4: Residents in the Indian capital are receiving phone calls from city health workers asking them to quit smoking under a new public health campaign, a report said on Monday.

Local health centres called up residents and asked them if they smoked, before informing them of the harmful effects of tobacco and offering tips for quitting, a Times of India report said.

Those who expressed an interest in quitting were given an appointment to meet with a health counsellor, while those who did not smoke were given a congratulatory pat on the back, the report said.

The projects had already begun in east and west New Delhi and were being expanded to other neighbourhoods, the report said.

India accounts for one-sixth of tobacco illnesses worldwide and some 2,200 people die daily from tobacco-related diseases in the country.

The country is keen to cut down on health care costs from tobacco-related illnesses, an annual financial burden of more than Rs300 billion ($6.7bn) for the emerging economy.—AFP