SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Oct 7: Designated smoking areas in restaurants, hotels and airports would be abolished soon. To discourage people from using tobacco products, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health (PCH) has recommended the government to abolish designated smoking areas in airports, hotels, and restaurants.
Besides this, the committee has also recommended the government to take measures to ban Gutkha/flavoured chewing tobacco/flavoured areca (Pan Masala) and to prohibit direct and indirect advertisements of Pan Masala.
According to the findings of the PCH, 80% of tobacco consumption is in the form of chewing tobacco with or without Areca Nut. These products are being aggressively marketed as mouth fresheners.
The national prevalence rate of tobacco products is 28% but in Jharkhand, it is 38.9% of which 34.5% are chewing tobacco users.
Bihar has less than the national average of tobacco product users with a prevalence rate of 25.9% while chewing tobacco users are 23.5 %.
The Committee in its reports has also pointed out that India has one of the lowest prices for tobacco products and there is a need to increase taxes on tobacco products. It accordingly recommended the government to raise taxes on tobacco and utilize the additional revenue gained for cancer prevention and awareness.
Taking into consideration that oral cancer is the highest contributor to total cancer cases, the committee has suggested that there is a need to implement the provisions of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003 more universally. It has also suggested prohibiting single-stick sales of cigarettes and laying stringent penalties and fines on offenders.
The Committee said consumption of tobacco and tobacco products has a huge adverse impact on the health of the public at large. Unrestricted advertisement of these products will attract the younger generation and innocent minds, who are not aware of the grave and adverse consequences of consuming such products. Thus, it needs to put a comprehensive ban on the advertisement of tobacco products to protect children and youth of impressionable minds.
Socio Economic Educational and Development Society (SEEDS), the technical support partner of the Jharkhand government on the tobacco control programme (NTCP), has appreciated the recommendation of the committee.
Executive director of SEEDS Dipak Mishra said that tobacco products have been identified as a major reason for cancer.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also focused on working on preventive measures for cancer. So there is a need for a complete ban on Pan Masala, flavoured chewing tobacco and strict implementation of different prohibitions of COPTA 2003,” he said.
